Jade's Scion
by Kidan
Summary: AU 61ABY. Ben is a smuggler with no dealings with the Jedi. Until the Force decides to drop a Jedi Knight, in the form of Jysella Horn, who is missing large portions of her memory, into his life. Will he accept his role in the Force or turn from the Jedi?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

With a flash, the starship slips out of hyperspace. Her bruised and battered body barely recognizable as that of a Horizon-Class star yacht. Barely visible against the dark hull is lettering in aurebesh, the text faded and chipped spells her given name, the Jade's Scion.

Her pilot is just slightly younger than his ship. At thirty-five standard years, his frame has become long and lean. It is a fighter's physique, shaped not by the hours of lightsaber combat and training that shaped his father's, but shaped by countless cantina-clearing brawls. His hair, once a strawberry blonde, has shifted to a dark bronze color, and the first few grey hairs are appearing. Yet the most telling feature of what has happened to him during his short life are his eyes. Once they were a crystal blue, shining, happy. Now they are a cold grey.

The son of heroes, he has spent the last twenty years trying to forget it all. Hiding from his childhood friends, his cousins, his parents and most of all, he is hiding from the Force. He lives under a sobriquet, having long ago forsaken the family name which would bring him such troubles in the circles he runs. He is now known simply as Ben Whitesun.

He looks out at the planet which he is now circling. Corellia, a green and blue ball which is home to his Uncle Han and Aunt Leia. This is the closest he has been to family in nearly a decade, but he has a delivery to make.

He lands in a nondescript landing bay, one of many similar bays across the planet. Slipping the stack of datacards in an interior pocket of his jacket, he looks at himself in the mirror. Navy pants, knee high boots, open collar white shirt, and the spacer jacket to complete the look. At his side is a DL-44 Heavy Blaster pistol, the same model that his Uncle always used. He laughs slightly to himself, as he realizes just how much he looks like his Uncle did back during the Galactic Civil War.

He walks through Treasure Ship Row, keeping a low profile, ensuring that no one is following him. He finally arrives at his destination, a cantina that just borders on respectability named The Master's Fire. He glances at the name, and frowns for a moment, unwanted memories flitting across his consciousness.

Then he enters the dim cantina. He looks left and right, searching for his contact. There are not many people in there at this time of day, a dark-haired woman about his age sitting at the bar, and an older couple sitting in a corner booth, something about her silver hair eliciting more of those unwanted memories.

He sits on the opposite side of the bar from the woman, and orders a lomin ale. He gives another quick once over of the customers in the bar, and notices the woman looking at him. His breath catches in his throat at the sight of her green eyes.

The door to the cantina opens and his contact finally walks in. He appears about fifteen years older than Ben, with dark hair and blue eyes. He sees Ben and sits next to him. "You got it?"

"That depends, you got the credits?"

The man lays a credit chip on the bar, activating the currency display. Ben glances at it, and sets the package of data cards on the bar, and slips the chip into his pocket. With a quick gulp, he finishes his drink and stands, turning towards the door. From behind him, he hears the man speak. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Without turning around Ben replies, "Too many memories on Corellia. No offense, but I don't come here all that often."

He starts to get a really bad feeling as the man once more speaks. "Well Corellia isn't all that bad, not like say, Kessel for those caught smuggling."

Ben's hand drops to his blaster as he spins back to the man. "What exactly are you implying?"

The man just shrugs. An emotion which almost appears to be amusement flickers in his eyes. "I just hope those credits bring you the felicity you're searching for."

Ben tries to suppress the feeling that comes at him, yet as he jumps backwards, he knows that the Force is still haunting him. As he is moving, he can hear the snap-hiss of a lightsaber, and he spins to find the dark haired woman, holding a silver-bladed lightsaber.

Her voice is light and clear. "Your behavior is aberrant, and as a Jedi Knight of the Galactic Federation I am hereby placing you under arrest."

The man at the bar chuckles. "Come now Jys, no need to be so melodramatic."

Ben smiles as he lifts his hands to his head, and drops the compact flash grenade that hides in the cuff of his jacket. He squeezes his eyes shut as the flash goes off. He opens them, noticing the white glare that covers everything and runs towards the door.

He hears the woman's voice as he runs out the door. "Great work Valin."

He slips into the flow of life of Treasure Ship Row, making his way to the Jade's Scion, cursing his own recklessness slightly. He frowns to himself as the memory of those green eyes cross his thoughts.

He opens the door to his landing bay, and utters the first word that comes to his mind. "Shavit."

The dark-haired woman from the bar is standing there, and turns towards him. He pulls his blaster and has it aimed at her as her saber ignites.

"What do you want Jedi?"

Her smile is brilliant. "Merely to arrest you."

He can't help but return it. "Then you talk too much."

Ben fires his blaster. Jysella tries to deflect the stun blasts, but Jedi have a hard time deflecting them. Ben frowns slightly as he watches her crumple to the ground.

Ben starts to walk past her, intent upon leaving her there. Instead he kneels down beside her, and runs a hand through her hair. Ben can feel the pressure from the Force, and once more mutters a curse as he gives in to the prompting.

He grabs her saber and attaches it to his belt. Then he lifts her and takes her and puts her in one of the cabins of his ship.

Ignoring the cries of the ground control crew, he smiles as he launches the ship straight out of the docking bay, and is in hyperspace long before the planetary defense forces can catch up to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Great work Valin"

He can hear the caustic tongue of his sister, even if he can't see her. He blinks his eyes, a couple times, once more attempting to get the white from his eyes.

He is Valin Horn. The son of Corran Horn and Mirax Terrik, one a former smuggler, the other a cop turned fighter pilot turned Jedi Knight. And he just got outwitted by a runt of a smuggler his sister's age.

With a frown, he assumes his sister can't see he replies. "Well, since you handled it so well, why don't you run to where we think his ship is berthed and arrest him for us."

He can feel the burst of frustration that rolls off of his sister. "I think I will."

With that said Jysella Horn storms out of the cantina.

Valin blinks his eyes again, and sighs as he can finally start to make out dark blurs in the white.

He hears a melodious voice, recognizing it as Tionne's, one of the two Masters that were in attendance, supposedly observing him as a test for his own Mastery. "That went better than expected, if I do say so myself."

Valin gives voice to the confusion he feels, as from his point of view; this arrest attempt was an unmitigated disaster. "Master?"

In reply is the baritone of Tionne's husband, the other Master that was observing him and his sister. "Why do you think Jedi were sent to arrest this smuggler? The authorities have been after him for years now. He seems to have a preternatural ability to evade capture and escape traps lain for him."

Blinking his eyes again, and smiling as he can once more start to see things, he considers Kam's response. "Does the Council believe that this smuggler is a Force Sensitive?"

"That is exactly what the Council believes, Knight Horn."

At the voice, all three spin towards the speaker. The final effects of the flash grenade are fading, allowing the three to see the Grand Master of the Jedi as he slowly walks from the backroom of the cantina.

At 81 years old, Luke Skywalker is beginning to show his age. His hair has thinned and become grey, his face is creased, and he walks with a slight slump to his shoulders, as if he is carrying the weight of the galaxy. Yet in the Force he is a shining beacon, a standard of the Force, and appears as timeless as the stars themselves.

In near unison, the three Jedi bow before the Grand Master; showing him obeisance and greetings.

Luke chuckles and claps Kam on the shoulder. "How many times must I tell you to not do that old friend?"

Then turning his attention back to Valin, he asks, "So what does the Force tell you of this Valin?"

Valin gulps, once more feeling like the thirteen year old learner, who so often got into trouble with Anakin and Tahiri, as he replies, "That's just it Master, I felt nothing in the Force. If I had not seen him sitting at the bar, I would have never known he was there. When he dropped the grenade, it caught me off-guard entirely. I don't think we ever stood a chance of capturing him."

"Do you believe he was a Yuuzhan Vong?"

"No Master, he was something else. The Vong leave a hole in the Force that can be felt and probed. This smuggler just was not there."

Luke turns his attention back towards Kam and Tionne. "And the two of you are in accord with this account?"

Kam grimaces. "I hate to say it, but Valin is right. I never knew he was in the cantina until I heard him scrape his barstool pulling it out. And like Valin, I was caught unprepared for the flash grenade. Yet at the same time, I felt like I knew him, like I should know him."

Luke turns his eyes towards Tionne and sees her nodding in agreement with her husband.

Valin looks between the three Masters, and hesitantly speaks. "Grand Master, is there more to this smuggler than we were told?"

Luke focuses on Valin once more, and Valin starts to take an instinctive step back from Luke's grey eyes. He stops his movement, as he recognizes that shade of grey as one of the really bad summer storms that would sweep across Yavin 4.

"What did he say his name was?"

"Whitesun. That was the only name he would give."

"And the name of his ship?"

"We think he came in on a Horizon class star yacht named the Jade's Scion, but we're not entirely certain on that fact."

Luke blinks, his eyes are now once more a cloudy blue. "A Horizon-class star yacht you say?"

Then without another word, Luke turns from the Jedi and walks towards the cantina's exit.

Valin begins to turn towards Tionne and Kam when he feels a sudden surge of adrenalin, and then he feels his sister fade from the Force.

Gasping he slips to the ground, and cries out his sister's name.

Tionne quickly kneels beside him. "What has happened?"

Valin closes his eyes and reaches out into the Force, trying to find his sister. Stretching hard, he finally feels her, recognizes the feel of her as she is sleeping or unconscious, and then he feels her presence as it is speeding away from him, the feel of somebody going into hyperspace.

He opens his eyes and turns to Tionne. "She was unconscious and just taken to hyperspace. I think our smuggler has just turned kidnapper as well."

"Shavit!"

Valin jumps and looks towards the doorway, and sees the Grand Master's hard stare. A look of anger briefly clouds his eyes and Valin watches as Luke finishes turning away from them and finally leaves the cantina.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I think I will"

Jysella Horn curses her own recklessness as she steps outside the cantina. The midday sun is bright, hurting her already over-exposed eyes just that much more.

She stretches out with her feelings, trying to once more get a lock on her prey, failing in that task as miserably as she did when he walked into the cantina.

Then ignoring the looks of passer-bys as she brushes past them, she arrives at the landing bay that her brother and she believe is Whitesun's.

She enters an override code into the lock and quickly steps inside, allowing the door to close behind her.

She looks up at the ship before, a battered and tired old yacht, almost a mixture of Master Skywalker's ship and the _Millennium Falcon_. She slowly circles her, and notices the numerous recessed weapons, and a Mer-Sonn Torpedo Array. As she completes her circuit of the ship, she hears the door to the landing bay open behind her, and someone utters a curse out loud.

She spins, and comes face to face with the smuggler. He is kind of cute. As the thought flickers through her mind she pushes it away with an effort.

She is amazed at the speed at which his blaster appears in his hand, and she ignites her lightsaber.

His face hardens slightly. "What do you want Jedi?"

He nearly spits out the last word. She smiles at him, a big one, bright and shining. She knows that males can't help but be disarmed by it, and she feels triumphant as she sees him start to return it. "Merely to arrest you."

The triumph quickly starts to fade at his reply. "Then you talk too much."

She feels a flicker of warning in the Force, and raises her blade to bat the blaster bolt back towards him. But instead of the focused beam of a blaster, she is hit with the diffused wave of a stun blast.

She quickly attempts to use the Force to shunt the effects away, as he quickly stuns her a second time.

Then she knows only darkness.

_What? Where am I?_

Jysella looks around, and instinctively knows that she is experiencing a vision, a sending of the Force.

She looks around, and sees the _Pulsar Skate_ as she lifts off from a red star destroyer.

The vision shifts, and she finds herself on the bridge of the star destroyer, giving her a clear view of the man that stands in command. He is tall, nearly two full meters and powerfully built. A grey beard obscures the cut of his chin, and his grey hair, though still thick, rests atop his head in a pronounced widow's peak. There is anger and frustration clearly evident upon his face. Most telling of that anger is the way that his teeth clench the cigar that sticks from his mouth.

She watches wide-eyed with interest as the man turns to the twilik beside him. She smiles at the sound of his rumbling voice; it evokes feelings within her of happier times. She can almost smell the distinctive odor of the cigar.

"I can't believe that that Corsec Jedi would do such things! What right does he have to tell me that I can no longer see them?"

The twilik's red eyes watch the floor. "I know, it does not seem like the Corran I remember, but the wars have changed us all."

She searches, yet can find neither person within her memory, yet they clearly know her father.

At the sound of a thrown datapad, she once more focuses on the man and the twilik's conversation.

"- believe she went along with it!"

The twilik mutely nods his head; she can see the sorrow evident in his eyes, in his stance and wonders what had caused it.

Then the vision shifts again, this time she finds herself on Ossus in her parent's house. She looks around the living room and sees her father, sitting in a chair, a worried look on his face, as he stares towards the bedroom.

Jysella walks that way and comes face to face with her mother. Even in the dream she can feel the anger and disgust that pours off of her mother. Looking around, she notices that her mother is packing a bag.

Then a wash of soothing calmness comes flowing through the Force.

Mother and daughter turn towards the door as Luke Skywalker and Jacen Solo walk into the room.

The viciousness and anger in her mother's tone surprises Jysella. "You both are welcome to leave right now."

Jacen smiles at Mirax and Jysella can feel her heart flutter. Childhood memories of a girlish crush on the Jedi Master rise up quickly within her.

Luke opens his mouth to begin speaking.

And with a start Jysella awakens.

She sits up, pushing the sheet that covers her off, and looks around the room. Her eyes lighting upon the various objects, as she recognizes a simple onboard cabin.

She reaches down to grasp her lightsaber and her fingers fail to find it. She looks around the room once more, searching for it. She frowns as it is nowhere to be seen.

She can feel the thrum of the hyperspace engines. So she stretches out with the Force, and worries slightly when she can feel no one else aboard the ship.

She cautiously stands, waving with the slight dizziness which accompanies a stunning and walks to the door.

To her surprise, the door slides open at her touch, opening into a large common area. Looking around she sees the smuggler at the food prep station. At the sound of her door opening, he looks up at her, mischief appearing in his eyes. "Sleep well?"

"Where are we?"

He glances around the room. "If I didn't know better, I'd say my ship."

Her eyes narrow slightly in anger. "What are you doing?"

A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Fixing some lunch, would you care for some?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Ben smiles as he watches the stars elongate and the tunnel to hyperspace reach up and engulf his ship.

To him the jump into hyperspace has always appeared so magical. He finds something about it so transcendent, so mythical.

As he stands up, he wonders why exactly he brought the woman on board. He knows it was a prompting from the Force and for the thousandth time he wished the Force would just leave him alone.

With a scowl on his face, he stomps back to the cabin where he had dropped off the Jedi. He opens the door and sees her there on the bed, limbs in disarray, and her head at an odd angle, one that guarantees she would awaken with a hurting neck.

His features softening, he silently goes about straightening her up on the bed, he then removes her boots, and grabs a thin blanket from the overhead compartment.

He places the blanket over her, and takes another moment to run his hands through her silky black hair.

"Jedi or not, she's beautiful."

The sound of his own voice startles him, and he quickly stands and backs away from her, going into the common room.

Once back out into the common room, Ben picks up a data pad from the work bench and throws it across the room. Once more wondering why the Force refused to leave him alone.

He collapses onto the couch, placing his hands over his eyes.

"The Force does not leave you alone, because you are the Force's own."

Ben looks up at the blue form before him, the far bulkhead visible through the shimmering being. Ben frowns at the Jedi robes, shaggy shoulder-length blonde hair, and the smooth boyish face, marred only by the scar over the right eye.

"Who are you?"

The Force ghost smiles at Ben. "That does not matter right now Ben. Just trust in the Force. There is usually a reason for these things."

"But you see, there lies the problem. I don't trust in the Force, I trust in my blaster and my ship. What else do I need?"

The blue form chuckles as it begins to fade, and says one last word. "Lunch."

Ben heaves himself up from the couch, noticing for the first time his hunger and goes to prepare a small meal for himself and his guest, prisoner, hostage, confessor, confidant. He wonders exactly what she is to him, and what the Force expects from him now. What it expects from her.

As he works, and wonders, he hears the sound of her cabin door opening and sees her step out of the cabin she was in. Feeling mischievous, he asks, "Sleep well?"

He watches her face as her eyebrows come ever so slightly closer together. "Where are we?"

Ben theatrically looks around the common area. "If I didn't know better, I'd say my ship."

He feels a slight amusement as he sees the anger flash in her eyes. "What are you doing?"

With her question, he lets a smirk tug at his mouth. "Fixing some lunch, would you care for some?"

As he watches, he can see her work through her confusion. "Am I your prisoner?"

He sets the small table and looks at her. "Well, that would be fitting since you attempted to arrest me. What do you say, are you my prisoner?"

He pulls out her chair, and motions for her to sit. As she does, she looks at him curiously. "If I am, this is the strangest way I've ever seen a prisoner treated."

He serves them both, and then sits across from her. "True, but I am all out of fresh shackles, and from my understanding they often don't work against Jedi."

"So are all of your prisoners feed in this manner, and have this type of discussion with you?"

He laughs slightly. "Well, if you decide that you are my prisoner, then I would have to say yes, because you would be my first."

This time, he notices that she lightly bites her bottom lip as she considers his answer. "Well, if I am not your prisoner, what else could I be?"

"This I have been asking myself and the possibilities of what you could be are prisoner, which is the obvious one, then there is hostage, kidnap victim, and guest. Then we have the more esoteric ones such as confessor, confidant and of course my personal favorite, romantic interest."

As he says that last one, he gives her a wink, causing her to laugh. "You know Whitesun; you're not what I was expecting."

"Ben."

Somewhat startled at hearing himself say his own name, he almost fails to hear her reply as she asks, "Excuse me?"

"Ben. My name is Ben. So, how many smugglers have you known to give you an expectation on a smuggler's behavior?"

"Okay Ben, I'm Jysella, well my mother used to be one, long before I was born. My mother and..."

Ben feels himself sit up straighter at her name. Old memories of his time at the Jedi Academy right after the Swarm War surfaces. He remembers a slightly older, but pretty girl, with brilliant green eyes. He can remember sitting behind her during lessons on negotiating, and never quite being able to work up the nerve to actually talk to her.

He recognizes that pretty girl now, in the tilt of her chin, the color of her eyes. He can see those brilliant green eyes, though they have been dimmed slightly by life and adulthood.

She pauses, a brief look of confusion on her face. Then she continues. "Yes my Mother used to be one of the best. But when my dad became a full-time Jedi Knight she stopped the trade. To stay home and raise me and my brother, but when I was growing up, she would tell me stories of those times."

From the look on her face, Ben thinks that it might be best to switch the topic from the past, back to the present. "So you still have not answered the question. Which shall you be? Prisoner, hostage, or guest?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Valin sits in a dark room. Meditating, trying to find his calm center. But the only emotions that he finds are frustration, anger and hate. Frustration because he still is having trouble feeling his sister in the Force, anger at her for allowing herself to get caught and hate of the smuggler for capturing her.

Rubbing the tears of frustration and anger from his eyes, Valin once more attempts to meditate.

As he meditates, he receives a small vision.

_It starts out with a swirl of colors and flashes of lights and fire._

_Then he sees Jysella sitting at a table, eating a simple meal with the smuggler. She appears to be laughing._

_Then he sees a grey bearded man with a cigar in his mouth._

_That fades away and he once more sees the smuggler. Whitesun is holding Jysella's lightsaber, fighting someone that Valin cannot see._

_And then he sees a red star destroyer._

Suddenly he is bombarded with negative emotions and feelings. Pain, death, hate, anger, despair, nausea, they all flow over him, through him, leaving him gasping for breath.

Into this maelstrom of negative emotions, enters a calm collected pool of Force energy. Valin opens his eyes as Jedi Master Jacen Solo sits down on the mat across from him. With a wave of his arm, Jacen turns on the room's lights, revealing Valin's red-rimmed eyes.

"You know Valin; sitting in a dark room crying will not bring her back."

Valin pushes down his anger as it attempts to bubble over. "I've been trying to meditate, to see if the Force will tell me where to find her."

"Do or do not. There is no try."

The silver blade of Valin's lightsaber is ignited as he holds it in a mid ready; a silver light flashing in his eyes. "Do not mock me Jacen."

"I would not dream of it Valin. But I'm right; you need to get out there and find her, and do it fast before something bad happens."

Valin shuts down his saber, deflating a little; a trace of fear enters his eyes. "Something bad? Did you have a vision or some insight from the Force?"

"Something like that. The Council wants Jysella returned to Ossus immediately. We are teaming you up with another Jedi Knight for this mission."

Valin brightens a little at the prospect of a team mission, of not having to do this alone. "Tahiri maybe?"

"You know Tahiri is still in exile on Dagobah. The Council is going to send you out with Sannah."

Valin watches as Jacen pulls out a handheld hologram machine, and thumbs it on. A three-dimensional representation of a star destroyer appears in the air above the machine. It slowly rotates, and Valin notices some differences between it and a standard star destroyer, outside of its red coloring. The main one of those differences is what appears to be a super weapon embedded within the hull of the ship."

As Valin is mesmerized by the sight of the ship spin in the air, Jacen begins talking. "This is the _Errant Venture_. It is imperative that Jysella not be taken on board her, nor are you to board her under any circumstances. If you board her, you will be dismissed from the Jedi. If your sister boards her, she will be dismissed from the Jedi."

At that Valin eyes pop up from the hologram, locking with Jacen's golden brown ones. "Master?"

For the first time, Valin notices just how old Jacen appears. Even though Jacen is only a few years older than himself, yet at this moment Valin thinks he appears at least a decade older than that. "This is that serious Valin. On this the future rests. Neither you nor your sister can be Jedi and visit the _Errant Venture_."

"I don't understand Master."

"And you don't need to. You just need to do as the Council says."

Valin bows his head at the vehemence in Jacen's tone. "Yes, Master."

When Valin raises his head back up, Jacen is once more smiling. "Good, now go talk with Sannah and tell her that the two of you will be going on this mission. As well, you will be provided with the _Big Eye_ for transportation."

"Yes Master."

"Very good Valin. May the Force be with you."

With that Jacen stands, and walks from the meditation room, leaving Valin to wonder just why he is not allowed to board the _Errant Venture_.

Valin runs his hands through his hair and gives voice to the other question that plagues him. "Why did he take you Jysella?"

Standing, he walks out of the room, and goes to find Sannah.

Valin finds her sitting by a fountain in one of the small meditation parks that dot the landscape around the Jedi Academy on Ossus. For a second, he watches as she twirls her finger in the water, a far off look in her eyes, an air of heavy sadness clinging to her.

He sits on the ledge beside her and watches as she gives a slight shake and notices his presence. "Valin! What a surprise."

"A pleasant one I hope."

"Of course, how are you?"

"I've been better. Jysella was kidnapped, and I'm being sent out to find her. The Council has given you orders to accompany me on my mission."

He watches as first worry and then fear crosses her face. "But Valin, what if I start to transform?"

"It's been nearly thirty years since you were supposed to, don't you think if it was going to happen it would have by now?"

She sighs and turns back towards the water. "You're probably right."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

She is simply called Sannah. She is a melodie from the planet Yavin 8. She spends most of her time sitting by one of the fountains which surround the Jedi Academy on Ossus.

Melodies are an amphibious people, who live on dry land for the first twenty years of their life, and then spend the remaining years living underwater in the caves and coves of Yavin 8. Or at least that is what they did prior to the Yuuzhan Vong wiping out all life on that planet.

Sannah is now the last of her kind. Unable to make the final transformation into full adulthood, unable to bear the children she wishes she could have because she has yet to undergo the transformation, and because there are simply no other melodies.

As often as she can, she finds a fountain, and sits in the shadow of it, most often this one, which produces a fine mist all around the fountain.

She loves and loathes being near the water. She loves it, because it is her element, it reminds her of her home and childhood. She loathes it because it represents all that she will never be able to have.

She is unable to stay away from it, yet being near the water causes her to dwell upon her depression and melancholy.

She looks down, and sees that she had been absently playing with the water again, shivering slightly, she looks up and feels a smile on her face as she sees one of her childhood friends, one who was almost more than that, one of the few who survived the Vong War and the Swarm War. "Valin! What a surprise."

She has always been enthralled by how blue his eyes are. She watches his face, his eyes as he replies. "A pleasant one I hope."

She can feel her hands begin to warm with embarrassment, and quickly shifts them so the sleeves of her robe hide the reddening of her hands. She works to keep the smile on her face, to continue looking at him and not drop her eyes in embarrassment. "Of course, how are you?"

Then she can feel his sadness and longing. She can sense that something has happened. "I've been better. Jysella was kidnapped, and I'm being sent out to find her. The Council has given you orders to accompany me on my mission."

Her breath catches in her throat. She can feel a primal fear take root in her heart. She has managed to stay on Ossus and around water for years now, since the Academy was put here. To be aboard a starship if the transformation began, would be a death sentence for her. "But Valin, what if I start to transform?"

Yet she can feel another emotion, it is lighter than the fear that grips her, not as urgent, but there nonetheless. She feels shock. This is the first mission the Council has ever sent her on. The first time anyone has recognized her existence since the Vong War ended. Pushing those thoughts away, she focuses her attention on what Valin is saying to her.

"It's been nearly thirty years since you were supposed to, don't you think if it was going to happen it would have by now?"

She sighs, feeling the old fears and sadness well up within her once more and turns back towards the water. "You're probably right."

She closes her eyes as the first of the tears start to fall.

Then she can feel a light touch as Valin wipes them away, he draws her close and whispers. "Hey, it'll be okay. There's no need to cry. It'll be all right."

She looks up at him. "How can you say that? I am all alone, the last of my kind, never to swim the depths and never to bear young."

"I'm sorry Sannah. I didn't think of that."

She leans into his embrace, and rests her head on his shoulder. Happy at the simple embrace.

At the sound of a cough, the two pull apart, and spin towards the newcomer.

Sannah looks up at the newcomer and sees Jedi Master Corran Horn. She can feel his anger coming off of him in waves. She looks at his green eyes, and can see the anger flashing in them. "Why aren't the two of you gone yet?"

She glances at Valin as he replies. "Sorry sir, we were just about to leave."

"There should be no just about to leave, the two of you need to get out there and bring my daughter back home."

Valin lowers his head. "Yes sir."

Sannah does the same. "Yes Master Horn."

She lifts her head and watches as Corran storms off, the cloud of anger and frustration following him as he leaves.

She turns to Valin, and sees him watching his father. "Dad doesn't like anyone threatening his family. It makes him grumpy."

Sannah giggles.

She quickly hides her hands again, as she can feel the blush giving them a pinkish tone.

She looks up to Valin once more. "Thank you."

He smiles at her and stands. "Don't mention it; now let's get going before my dad comes back this way."

They walk in the comfortable silence of old friends as they go first to their rooms to pack, and then to the landing area. Sannah looks around curiously. Attempting to push the fear from her mind, she looks at Valin. "Which ship are we taking?"

Valin smiles and points to one of the skipray blastboats. "That one, her name is the _Big Eye_."

Once more she is plagued with doubts. "Doesn't look like a lot of room."

"Crew compliment is four, but only one is needed to fly her, so the two of us should have plenty of room. Besides, I'm hoping this won't take that long."

She closes her eyes and slowly lets out a breath, forcing herself to be brave and calm. Opening her eyes she looks to Valin and grabs his hand. "Okay, I'm a Jedi, I can do this. Lead the way."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Okay Ben, I'm Jysella, well my mother used to be one, long before I was born. My mother and..."

Jysella stops talking at her sudden confusion. It seems to her that there should be someone else that she knows who is a smuggler, yet as she searches her memory she comes up empty.

And for some reason, a stab of bitter pain fills her heart at that emptiness.

She works hard to keep the frown from her face as she starts talking again. "Yes my Mother used to be one of the best. But when my dad became a full-time Jedi Knight she stopped the trade. To stay home and raise me and my brother, but when I was growing up, she would tell me stories of those times."

She can feel herself biting her lower lip again, trying to figure out where this feeling of disconnectedness had come from. Ben's sudden change of topic startles her. "So you still have not answered the question. Which shall you be? Prisoner, hostage, or guest?"

She looks into his eyes, and feels the intensity of his stare. She lowers her gaze. "Guest, I think I'll be your guest."

She can hear the happiness in his voice. "Perfect! Now as a good guest, that does mean you won't be trying to arrest me anymore right?"

She laughs lightly, and looks up into his eyes once more. "So tell me about yourself Ben."

"What is there to know?"

"How exactly did you get into the smuggling business?"

She watches as a guarded look enters his eyes. "Well my mother and uncle were smugglers, and oddly enough, they both got married and got out of the business."

As he finishes talking his eyes dart off towards the wall, looking away from her for the first time in awhile. Jysella gets the impression that he doesn't like talking about his family.

"So as your guest, do you mind telling me where we're going?"

He turns back to her and gives her a mischievous smile. "Yes actually I do. But I will let you sit in the cockpit with me when we come out of hyperspace."

She watches him as she continues to eat, slightly perplexed by everything about him.

As they finished their meal, a small alarm goes off, and Ben gets up and starts walking towards the cockpit. When he is about halfway there, he turns back towards Jysella, and with a smile on his face asks, "So you coming with me or not?"

"Of course"

Jysella stills feel her confusion at how Ben acts towards her. She was someone who, just a few hours ago, was trying to arrest him, yet he now acted as if they had known each other for years.

Yet for some reason, she feels that they had, though she can find no recollection of him at all in her memory.

She gets up from the table, and follows him into the cockpit. As she enters, she sees an R2 astromech plugged into the droid socket, which Ben pats on the head as he walks to the pilot's station. Without glancing over his shoulder, he calls out, "The little one there is Fiver, he's feisty but wont bite."

She looks warily at the droid. She knew her father and Master Skywalker talked to their droids as if they were sentient, but for some random smuggler to do the same. It slightly unnerved her.

Hesitantly she talked to the droid. "Hello Fiver."

She smiled as the droid happily tootled a reply. Then she strapped into the co-pilot's station and turned her attention to the mottled swirls of hyperspace.

She can feel his eyes on her as he reaches out and pulls the levers to drop them out of hyperspace.

They drop from hyperspace and into confusion. There before them is one of the strangest of the galaxy's phenomenon, the Maw. A cluster of black holes, the tidal energies of which could crush and rend the small yacht they travel in without hesitation.

Jysella can feel an irrational fear take hold of her heart, as she quickly looks from the black hole cluster to Ben and back again. "What are we doing here?"

"You'll see."

Jysella can feel her heart rate shoot upwards, as Ben engages the sub-light engines, and dives into the Maw. Her breath is coming in low, shallow gulps, verging on hyper-ventilating.

She wants to scream in fright, but is too scared that the sudden noise would startle Ben into making a wrong move.

She squeezes her eyes shut tight, as the fear pounds in her head and heart.

In the Force, she can feel the tidal energies attempting to grasp hold of the _Jade's Scion_.

Then it is over. The tidal energies flow away from the ship and she slowly opens her eyes.

She can feel the black holes all around them, yet amazingly they exist in a safe bubble, a small pocket of safety amidst the dangers of the Maw. Even more amazing is the fact that there is a space station there. A motley collection of rocks and old habitat modules, yet it still appears active and livable.

She notices Ben's sideways glance at her, and she wishes once more that she was able to feel him in the Force. That she could glean some idea of what he's thinking as he looks at her like that.

As her heart rate finally begins to settle down, and her hands are finally able to unclench from the armrests, she turns her attention to Ben.

He is smiling at her. "Welcome to Shelter Jysella, welcome to my home."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ben yanks back on the levers which drop his beloved ship from hyperspace. He smiles as the tunnel they were traveling in collapses revealing the chaos that is the Maw.

From beside him, he can her Jysella take a sharp breath. "What are we doing here?"

Ben almost laughs. "You'll see."

Ben loves this part of the trip. It is a fundamental test of his piloting skills. Man against nature. If he comes to close to a black hole, then his ship would be ripped to shreds, and on the way into Shelter, there is only two options, the right way, and too close to a black hole.

As he takes the first twist on his route in, he glances over at Jysella and sees the naked terror on her face. He can hear her short shallow breathing, as she is nearly hyperventilating, and can see how white her knuckles are from her death grip on her seat's armrests.

He instantly feels bad for her, for surprising her in this way.

Turning his attention back to the controls, he twists and turns until he finally reaches Shelter.

Letting out a breath, he notices that Jysella has started to calm down and he quickly looks back towards Shelter.

He glances at her again, and sees wonderment on her face, as if this was her first visit to Shelter.

Ben works at keeping a frown off of his face. He remembers coming here when he was a child, simple memories, the memories of a three year old, but memories nonetheless. Yet, if this Jysella is the girl he remembers from Ossus, then she would have been here at that same time and being older would have, should have, just as many, if not more memories of it, than him.

Pushing that train of thought from his mind for the time being, he turns his full attention to her and smiles at her wide-eyed amazement.

She finally looks at him. "Welcome to Shelter Jysella, welcome to my home."

"How did you find it?"

Not entirely certain on what to say, he tells a half-truth. "I didn't my Uncle and one of his friends did oh, fifty years ago or so."

Ben slips the ship through the magnetic seal, and lands. He quickly goes through the post-flight check and stands up. Looking down at Jysella he nods his head towards the ramp. "Come on, there's a couple more folks that live here that you should probably meet.

Together they walk down the ramp to me the people that had come out to meet them.

The first they stop at is a woman; she is about 1.7 meters tall, with brown hair and grey eyes, if she had to guess, Jysella would say she was in her early eighties. Even in her advanced age, the natural beauty which is hers shines through. Ben introduces her as Cal.

They come to a couple next, and Ben quickly hands over the credit chit to the man. This couple appears to be in their eighties as well, both of them about the same height as the other woman, they still posses the self-assuredness of people who have done much and seen more. Ben pulls Jysella forward, interested in both seeing how the man would react to his guest, and how Jysella would react to him.

Smiling, he begins the introductions. "Jysella, this is Tycho Celchu and his wife Winter. They were friends of my father. Tycho, Winter, this is Jysella." Ben pauses here for a moment before turning fully towards Jysella. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your last name."

"It's Horn." Ben watches as she shakes her head slightly, almost laughing to herself, and reaches out to shake hands with Tycho and Winter. She is once more talking. "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you"

Ben catches Tycho's eye and gives a quick shake of his head, letting the man know that he should not say anything important. That he should not say anything about her past.

Winter speaks up quickly, her years in espionage and as Leia's aide giving her the ability to quickly school her expressions into passivity. "The pleasure's ours Jedi Horn."

Ben watches as the couple walks away, knowing he'll have to talk to them sooner or later, but for now he turns his attention to the final person in the group. A dark haired boy, of about ten standard years, Ben smiles down at the boy who appeared one day on his ship. He ruffles the boy's hair as he looks up at Jysella. "This is my future first-mate, his name is Jemsen."

As they finish exchanging greetings a thirty year old Tendandro Arms Nanny droid comes up and escorts the child to his lessons.

Ben gestures for Jysella to follow him once more. "I'll take you to your quarters."

As he shows her the quarters she will be staying in, Ben smiles at her again. "You have free run of my home, except those rooms that are locked. The mess is just a few doors down and clearly marked, and you can help yourself. My quarters and office are a few doors past that, and also clearly marked. Now if you'll excuse me I have a few matters I need to attend to."

Ben quickly steps out of the room, and walks to his office. Sitting at his desk, he ignores the various papers there and opens a drawer, pulling out a bottle of lomin ale. He pours himself a glass and quickly downs it before pouring another.

As he pours the second glass, there is a swift knock on the door and it opens quickly and Tycho walks in, his aristocratic features pulled into a sad frown.

Tycho sits in a chair across from Ben, and takes the drink and drains most of it. For a few moments, he just stares at the amber liquid that remains in the glass. Finally, he looks up towards Ben. "She doesn't know me, or anything? How many naming day parties was I at? How often did I visit Ossus? I was there at the party for Corran's and Mirax's fortieth wedding anniversary. Yet I was a total stranger to her. I'm her hold father, and she has no clue who I am."

Ben nods. "I figured as much. She was terrified of the Maw, and did not recognize Shelter at all."

"What does it all mean?"

Ben frowns as he gets another glass to pour himself some more of the ale. "I wish I knew. I really wish I knew."

"What exactly happened that you would bring her here?"

Ben leans back in his chair sighing. "That last run was a setup. The Jedi were the contacts, and she was both at the sting and at the ship when I got back. I stunned her and intended to leave her in the landing bay. Yet I couldn't do that, I had to bring her with me."

"Another compulsion from the Force?"

Ben rubs his eyes and then squeezes the bridge of his nose, feeling the beginnings of a stress headache. "Yes. One day I hope to be rid of the Force."

Then Ben once more hears the words of the Force Ghost. "The Force does not leave you alone, because you are the Force's own."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Valin sits in the middle of the common area of the _Big Eye_, performing another futile attempt at finding his sister by using the Force. Every time he probes the Force, he either is slammed against a dark shroud, or is given strange, odd visions.

As he sits there on the floor, his eyes closed, deep within a meditation trance, the memory of the last vision once more floats to the top of his mind.

_It is a green room, with lots of shadows, little lighting and a low roof, one which makes him feel claustrophobic. There are no chairs, no tables, just seven cylinders along the wall, three of which are filled with a vicious, rolling crimson fluid. So dark, it almost appears black._

_He sees two men dragging in a woman with short brunette hair, wearing a StealthX flightsuit. She appears to be in her early thirties. A third figure walks over to her, and he can see her spit at him. He ignores the spittle, and pressing an injector to her neck, injecting her with something. Then the first two strip her of her flightsuit and place her into one of the cylinders, quickly closing it. That cylinder fills with red fluid, as the brunette screams and pounds against the transparisteel. He has the distinct impression that he should know her, that he does know her, yet who she is, refuses to come to his mind._

_He continues to watch as the third figure dismisses the first two with a wave of his hand, and then picks up a second syringe. The figure pulls up the sleeve of his tunic, and presses the injector to the crook of his arm. As the fluid enters the figures arm, Valin can tell the process is not an easy one, and just before the figure can lift his face into the light, before the figure is able to show Valin his face, the vision abruptly ends._

Even the memory of that vision, is enough to jolt him out of his meditation trance.

Valin sighs as he gives up the attempt at meditation. Deciding to take a more logical approach in his hunt, he picks up his datapad and opens the file on Whitesun.

_Name: Whitesun  
Hair: Red  
Eye Color: Blue   
Height 1.73 meters   
Sex: Male   
Species: Human   
Birth Date: Unknown   
Birth Planet: Unknown   
Known Alias: N/A   
Suspected Ship's Aliases: The Winter Belle, The Darklighter, Jade's Scion (suspected current), The Blood Princess, Allana's Tears (reported destroyed), The Thousand Hawks, Green Flame, The Blade of Light (reported destroyed), A Fosh's Dream, The Sun of the Sons, Lelila's Pride (reported destroyed)_

_Whitesun appeared on the smuggling scene approximately fifteen years ago. He had been working previously with the remnants of the Kardde Organization. It should be noted that he has never smuggled spice, or black membrosia, and former associates have expressed that he has a disdain for slavers. There are rumors that he slaughtered a band of Trandoshan Slavers preying on the Wookies. Various planetary security forces and Federation Intelligence have made numerous attempts at apprehending Whitesun, currently all have failed._

_His current ship is reported to be a Horizon-class star yacht, but he has also been reported flying a Buado-class starship, a Correlian Engineering YT-1300, YT-2400, and YT-2500._

Frowning at how useless the data is, Valin presses a button looking at the list of all the places that Whitesun had been sighted.

Muttering a curse under his breath, Valin tosses the datapad back onto the table.

Standing, Valin walks to the cockpit and drops into the pilot's seat, staring out at the stars. Leaning back, he closes his eyes and wonders what he should do, where they should go.

He feels a gentle breeze across his face, and can smell something beside the smell of recycled air. It is a new fragrance, one that is clean and pure, like the smell of the water in the deep coves and springs on Yavin 4. It is a smell that reminds him of childhood, of playing, and or swimming with Anakin, Tahiri and Sannah.

As he ponders it, he feels a slight poke to his forehead. He opens one eye, and is staring into one of Sannah's yellow ones. Pulling his head back slightly, he opens the other eye and sees the mischievous smile on her face. "You need to smile more."

Frowning, Valin is slightly confused. "Why do you say that?"

"I say that because your Force presence is bunched right there, right over your forehead." As she says that, she pokes him again with one of her fingers in the center of his forehead. "I'm guessing it's because you don't smile enough."

Valin is still confused. "Okay."

He watches her as she sits in the co-pilot's chair, humming softly to herself. Adding to his confusion, she notices his attention and she suddenly stuffs her hands into her robes and looks at him. "So, where are we going?"

Collapsing back into his chair, Valin turns his attention back to the stars. "I'm not entirely certain. We don't have a lot of information on him, and there doesn't appear to be a pattern to the runs he accepts. The file tells us that he won't take drug or slave runs, but beyond that there's nothing. We don't even know what planet he's from."

Valin turns his head to watch her, and notices that she is playing with a lock of her hair. "Well where do smugglers spend their time?"

"Nar Shadaa, Mos Eisley, the Smuggler's Run, and then little bolt holes throughout known and wild space."

"Well, maybe a smuggler at one of the places other smugglers stay around, would know how to find him."

"Great idea Sannah! Which shall we go to first?"

"Mos Eisley?"

Smiling for the first time in hours, Valin turns to Sannah and performs a half bow from his chair. "At milady's command."

And once more he wonders at why she suddenly shoves her hands into her robe sleeves.

Deciding the answers to that can wait for another day; he quickly plots a course for Tatooine. He gives power to the sublight engines, building speed, and as soon as the navicomputer chimes, he pulls back the levers launching them into hyperspace.

Valin sits there watching hyperspace for a moment as a profound sense of loneliness settles over him. He and his sister have been partners, and usually assigned together on missions for the past 15 years. Even though they have been separated like this for a few days, he still can feel the anger and loneliness.

He is startled out of his reverie by the soft feel of lips on his cheek, and then he hears Sannah's whispered voice, her breath warm against his ear. "It will be okay Valin."

By the time he turns to look at her, she is gone from the cockpit.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"At milady's command."

Sannah can feel the warmth and happiness that Valin feels in the Force as he speaks those words. She can feel that he is happy to once more be doing something, to have a place to go, a direction to take. She can feel a little seed of warmth in her heart for helping her longtime friend like this. It is a crack in the cold and fear that she has lived with for the past twenty-eight years, since she never started her transformation.

Plus she likes the sound of his voice when he's happy.

She can feel the warming of her hands again and once more shoves them into her robe sleeves. Silently she wonders why she keeps blushing when she's around him.

She watches him as he deftly manipulates the controls, in slight awe of his aptitude with the spacecraft. Absently she wishes that her gifts leaned towards flying, but quickly dismiss such wishes from her mind. She is a Jedi and is happy with her gifts.

As they enter hyperspace with a flash, she sees Valin sit back in his chair, and can feel his anger and loneliness flood the Force. It hurts that little seed of happiness that was beginning to take root in her heart.

She unbuckles her restraints and gets up from her chair. She kneels down beside him and notices that his eyes are somewhat glazed. She just assumes that he is lost in his dark thoughts. She feels the need to reassure him, to give him some comfort while he is hurting.

She gently kisses the his cheek, a feather-light brush of her lips, and then moves her mouth to be close to his ear and whispers, "It will be okay Valin."

Then in a quick movement, she stands up, and rushes from the room. She can feel the blush going from the tips of her fingers to her elbows, and is inordinately glad for the long sleeves of her Jedi robe.

She enters the galley and begins preparing a light meal for them both, absently humming a melodian funeral song.

"You should sing it."

She jumps slightly dropping the fruit she was cutting up, and looks at Valin. "Oh! You scared me."

"I'm sorry, can I help you finish making lunch."

She smiles at the offer. "No, you got us into hyperspace; the least I can do is prepare lunch."

She finishes, and passes him a plate. As she eats, she pays attention to her plate, keeping her head and eyes down, not quite trusting herself to not blush if she looks him in the eyes.

"Sannah, I've not been a good friend have I?"

With a start, her head pops up and Valin's eyes catch her own. "Why do you say that?"

She notices his nervousness, as he looks away from her and replies, "Well, you've been sad and miserable for nearly thirty years now, and I've done nothing to help you in that." He looks down at his plate, and she can feel a burst of shame come off of him. "I didn't even know."

She reaches out and takes his hand. "It's okay Valin. Sometimes I wonder if anyone did."

She laughs lightly before continuing. "Sometimes, I wonder if the Council even remembers I am a Jedi. I was shocked when you came to me saying the Council had a mission for me. I don't think I've even seen the Grand Master since the Swarm War."

"What have you been doing all these years?"

"Officially, I'm part of the library staff, but mostly I sit by the fountains, wishing I could transform."

She can feel her grief well up within her, it is familiar and comfortable. "Wishing I could bear young."

As she feels Valin's hand give hers a gentle squeeze, she does something that she has not done in far too long. She cries.

She almost despairs, as Valin pulls his hand from hers, but his presence is gone only moments, as she feels his arms around her. She grabs his robes and buries her head into his shoulder, letting the tears flow freely, sobbing away her pain.

As the tears finally slow down, she finally lifts her head up and looks at Valin once more. "I'm sorry about that."

She feels his fingers on her face as they gently brush away her tears. "Nothing to be sorry about, it was my fault for upsetting you, for bringing it up."

"What happened to us Valin? When we were all at the Academy, we were all so happy and carefree. It seemed like nothing could hurt us, like we were invincible."

She watches as he shakes his head. "I think it has to do with Anakin."

She is confused by that statement, unsure of how to respond. "What do you mean?"

"Remember what it was like when he was around? He carried himself through all those adventures we had, and I think he might have carried all of us through them too."

She almost grabs him again, as he releases her to lean against the counter, but she hesitates as he once more begins talking. "I just know that after Myrkr everything changed, everything got darker. As if without Anakin there to stop it, darkness was able to creep into the Force and into the Jedi."

She can feel her breath catch as he turns and catches her eyes with his, she feels lost in the sparkling blue of his eyes. "Except for you. You still seem so innocent. Untroubled, untouched by the darkness."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Now if you'll excuse me I have a few matters I need to attend to."

She hears him say it, but is not really paying attention. Her sense of wonderment has been replaced by fear and confusion. She looks around the room, frowning. She knows that she has been in this place; she knows that she's seen this room before.

Yet she cannot remember it at all.

She walks to the wall, and notices a small tear in the wallpaper that covers the room. Without thinking she picks at it, and then yanks the wallpaper down, pulling it away.

Underneath is another set of wallpaper, pastel in shade, with childlike ewoks and banthas dancing on that baby blue color.

She removes more of the wallpaper, revealing more and more ewoks and banthas.

She can feel her fear as it rapidly climbs, threatening to overwhelm her. For the first time since she was awoke, she reaches out for her brother, and finds him reeling in every imaginable negative feeling and emotion. The pain, sickness, misery, anger, hate and death that is pummeling his Force Presence scares her, and she quickly pulls back from him, and sits on the ground, putting her head on her knees. She can feel the tears start to come, and she wonders why exactly she is crying.

She evens out her breathing, and attempts to touch the Force again.

This time she is given a vision.

_She sees a gathering of three Jedi and a number of younglings. Two of them are a younger Master Tionne and Master Skywalker. The other Jedi is a red-haired woman that appears to be around the same age as Master Tionne and Master Skywalker. Master Tionne is holding an infant child with pale reddish blonde hair; other younglings are scampering around at her feet._

_She feels like an intruder as she watches Master Skywalker bend down to kiss the babe's cheek, and then the red-haired female Jedi does the same._

_She can only watch, as Master Skywalker and the red-haired Jedi, turn and board a Horizon-class star yacht, similar to Ben's ship. She is unsure of what to make of it, as Master Skywalker and the other Jedi were holding hands._

_Frowning slightly, she watches the younglings, as they all wave at the starship as it lifts off and flies out of the magnetic shield._

_As it speeds away, the younglings all follow Tionne back into the main part of the complex they are in. Jysella is dragged along, some part of her not wanting to go, some part of her struggling against the vision._

_Startled she realizes that she can hear things now. She pays attention as Tionne speaks, "Okay younglings, please run along to your lessons with Master Kam, I will be there as soon as I put this wee one to bed."_

_All the children run off save for one. She is a dark-haired little girl with green eyes, who appears to be about three or four years old. Jysella is transfixed as she listens. "Can I stay with you Master Tone?"_

_"Of course young one."_

_Tionne, the infant and the little girl enter a room, once more dragging Jysella along. She looks around, and sees that the room is decorated in blue pastels, with ewoks and banthas. A crib and dresser are against one wall, and a rocking chair is set in the middle of the room._

_Tionne sits in the rocker chair, still holding the infant. The little girl sits on the floor at Tionne's feet, watching Tionne's every move. She gives the girl a quick smile, and then begins to sing a lullaby to the baby._

_As she finishes the song, Tionne stands and gently places the sleeping infant in the crib. The little girl pulls on Tionne's robes, and holds her hands out to be held. Smiling Tionne reaches down and lifts the girl up._

_Jysella can only smile at the girl's innocence as she says, "He's pretty."_

_"Yes, he is a beautiful baby."_

_The little girl looks at Tionne, her eyes reminding Jysella of someone or something. "Master Tone, do you think I can be a mommy with a pretty baby someday?"_

_Tionne hugs the girl close and replies. "If the Force wills it, Jysella, if the Force wills it."_

At the sound of her name, Jysella bolts from the vision, a scream echoing in the room. She casts her eyes about, and screams again, upon seeing the ewoks and banthas still decorating the wall.

Then there is a pounding on the door, and someone outside it screaming. "Jysella!"

She scampers into the corner on the far side of the bed, and reaches up and drags the comforter off the bed and pulls it tight around her. She feels so cold and frightened.

She notices that the pounding has stopped, and with a swoosh the door opens. She looks over the top of the bed, and sees a dark silhouette in the doorway brandishing a blaster.

"Jysella are you okay?"

She finally recognizes the smuggler's voice.

"Go'way"

She barely recognizes herself as she says that. Her voice is raw with fear and pain. She looks up as she hears the scuffle of a boot on the floor, and sees the smuggler standing over her, putting away his blaster.

He kneels down beside her, his face serious. "Are you okay?"

"Yes! Now go'way"

She begins to get angry and frustrated as he ignores her, and continues to kneel there in front of her.

Then with a quick nod of his head, he stands. "If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Her anger quickly slips away to be replaced by fear as he leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Jysella curls up into a ball there on the floor and starts to cry as she wonders what is wrong with her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Ben watches as Tycho finishes off his drink. And then with a sad look on his face, he says his goodnights and leaves the office.

Frowning Ben thinks about everything that has happened these past few days. Once more wanting to know exactly why Jysella does not remember Shelter or Tycho, once more wondering just how much she does remember, especially about him.

He closes his eyes as he takes another drink from his glass, savoring the fire in his throat as it slides down. When he opens them again, someone is sitting in the chair opposite him. Someone blue, translucent and with a scar over his right eye.

Ben growls out a greeting. "What do you want now?"

The ghost smiles at him. "Is it what I want, or what the Force wants?"

Ben can feel his anger. "I think it doesn't matter because I don't care one way or the other."

"Then why is that young Jedi in the other room?"

Ben throws his glass through the ghost's head and mutters a curse as it shatters against the far wall. For his part, the ghost laughs at him. "Anger is of the Dark Side, you must learn control."

"Why won't the Force leave me alone?"

"I have already answered that question."

"I ask again, why are you here?"

"To help you fulfill your destiny."

Ben slams his fists down on the desk in front of him. "I don't want a destiny, I don't want the Force, and I don't want to be the next galaxy's savior. I'm not a Skywalker, not a Jedi. I'm just myself. And that is all I want to be."

"I know, believe me, I know what that is like. When I was alive, my peers at the time called me the 'Chosen One.' They said I was destined to bring balance to the Force. And as they spouted off that nonsense, they did not trust me, or my decisions, and I ended up bringing ruin to them all and the Force."

Ben looks away from the ghost and reaches over to get the glass that Tycho was using and pours himself another drink. "I'm sad for you, really."

The ghost chuckles once more. "My point is this; the Force had a destiny in mind for me regardless. Even though I did not fulfill it the way it initially intended, fulfill it I did. Yet because of how I ended up fulfilling it, your father, and now you, are left to finish cleaning up the mess."

Ben once more looks at the ghost, a sinking feeling coming to his stomach. "I ask again, just who are you?"

The ghost smiles and begins to fade as he says a final thing, "You can call me Anakin."

Ben frowns as the things the ghost has said, in concert with what he knows tells him just who his dead visitor is. Ben looks back up at the smiling form that is still dissipating into nothingness, and scowls. As soon as the ghost is gone, Ben hears Jysella scream.

In a surge of adrenalin, he runs from his office and down the hall towards her room. When he is about halfway there, another scream erupts from her room. He pushes himself harder, trying to get there as fast as possible, fear and worry coursing through him.

He is finally there and slams his fist against her door as he calls out. "Jysella!"

When she doesn't answer, he enters an override into the lock, and draws his blaster. He stands in the doorway for a moment, looking around at the tears in the wallpaper, revealing the light blue walls, with banthas and ewoks adorning it.

He looks around a second time, and sees her green eyes peering over the edge of the bed. "Jysella are you okay?"

Her voice is raw and rough. "Go 'way."

Her head pops back below the level of the bed, and he walks around it. As he clears the bed, he sees her sitting on the floor, a blanket wrapped around her, looking at her feet, mumbling to herself. He frowns as he puts his blaster away and she looks up at him, her eyes resembling those of a trapped animal. He kneels down in front of her, watching as her eyes follow his every movement. He can feel his worry for her, and wonders what it is that has her so scared. "Are you okay?"

"Yes! Now go 'way."

For a moment, he watches her, considering ignoring her demands and sitting with her until she talked to him. But then he remembers that is basically what the Force has done to him his entire life.

Giving a quick nod of acceptance, he stands and says, "If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Then he begins walking from the room. By the time he is at the door, he can hear her whimpers of fear, and almost turns around to go comfort her. Instead he leaves the room, closing the door behind him. He leans back against the door, and closes his eyes, wondering exactly what he is going to do. Then the memory of the fear that came with her screams, and he wonders about that and what it means. Under his breath he mutters a curse directed at the Force, and swears he can hear Anakin chuckling.

When he opens his eyes intending to go back to his office, he sees the old woman leaning against the wall across from him. "What do you want Cal?"

She gives him a sly smile. "You like her."

He sighs, not really in the mood to play one of her games. "What are you talking about?"

She lifts her chin, pointing back towards the room behind him, that sly, knowing smile still on her lips. "The Jedi, you like her."

Ben frowns at her, not sure exactly on how to respond. "Mind your own business."

Cal laughs. "Tell her Ben, regardless of what she might say, tell her."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you will wonder the rest of your life what would have happened if you had."

"Speaking from experience, eh Cal?"

Ben frowns at the knowing smile Cal gives him as she walks away from him. One thought runs through his head. Why do I put up with this?


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Valin squints into the bright suns of Mos Eisely, and sees the mass of aliens brush past them, rushing to and fro on their arcane missions. He turns to look at his companion, and can see how pale her skin is, how pale her normally vibrant eyes are.

He is worried for her. "You doing okay Sannah?"

She shakes her head, and he can hear the beads that are tied into her hair jingle. Her voice is raw sounding and hoarse. "Not enough water in the air."

He takes her elbow in his hand, and looks around them; spying a cantina he leads her there. They enter and he looks around, seeing a corner booth which is currently unoccupied. Giving her a smile of encouragement, he leads her to the booth and once she is comfortably settled, goes and gets them both something to drink.

Settling into the booth across from her, he watches as she drains half of the glass of water in one long pull, and a small measure of the brightness comes back to her eyes. She notices his watchful stare and turns her attention to the glass that sits in front of her. "I'm sorry about that; I've just never been somewhere so hot before."

Valin smiles at her. "I'm the one that should be sorry; I should have realized how this dust ball would have affected you. You feel up to going back to the ship?"

He watches as she nods her head, and finishes her drink, something nagging at him in the back of his mind. Frowning at it, he quickly downs the remainder of his ale and then stands, extending a hand towards her to help her up. As she grasps his hand, he is brusquely shoved aside, as a large devaronian slips into the booth. Unbalanced, Valin slips on something, and drops to the floor.

The devaronian runs his hands up his horns and smiles at Sannah. His smile is full of sharp teeth, as he flicks his tongue out over his lips. "Hey, hey pretty, pretty. You find Qem fun? Lots of fems do. You look like much yum-yum."

Valin stands, feeling a surge of jealousy flash through him, and once more reaches his hand out to Sannah. "Come on Sannah, let's go."

She looks up at him, with what appears to be relief in her eyes, which quickly slips into horror as Valin's warning sense goes off. Before he has a chance to pull his saber, he can feel the muzzle of a blaster pressed against his side.

Whoever is behind him has had too much to drink, as the smell of alcohol permeates his breath. "What's the hurry runt?"

Valin starts to turn, but the blaster is pressed harder against his side.

A quick laugh draws Valin's attention back to the devaronian who is looking at him. "Qem likes you. So Qem lets you go, but Qem keeps the fem. At least until the fun is over."

Valin can feel his anger at the insinuations, but he quickly lets that bleed into the Force. Taking a deep breath, he pulls the Force too him, preparing his body for the pain he knows is coming. Then he looks at the devaronian. "That's not going to happen. Now, are you going to back off, or am I going to have to take your horns as decorations for my quarters?"

The devaronian ignores Valin, and reaches for the one hand Sannah still has on the table by her empty glass.

Valin takes a step forward and a number of things happen. The first is Valin grabs the closer of the devaronian's horns and uses it as a lever to slam his head into the table. The second thing is Sannah ignites her saber, its aquamarine shaft appearing right where Valin slams the devaronian's head at. Valin hears, and instantly dismisses Sannah's gasp as she sees her saber sticking out the back of the devaronian's head.

The third and final thing is the person behind Valin, shoots him.

Valin grunts, the force of the shot knocking him onto the table. He realizes that he can hear Sannah screaming his name, as it echoes in the cantina, but blocks that distraction out, focusing on holding onto the energy that he absorbed from the blaster shot.

He grimaces as he stands back up, and uses the Force to lift the guy and throw him against the bar. As the guy falls to the ground, his limp form pushes against another patron, causing a drink to be spilled on an aqualish. The aqualish in turn punches the person next to him.

From there the cantina devolves into one large brawl.

As Valin touches his side where he was shot, he has to bite back a scream from the pain. Pulling his hand away, he looks at his fingers and sees them covered in blood. As Sannah stands and puts one of his arms around her, he looks down at her and attempts to smile. "That energy absorption thing didn't go quite as well as I had hoped."

Sannah looks up at him, and then at his blood covered fingers and gasps. "Come on; let's get you back to the ship."

Valin laughs slightly. "Wasn't that what I was doing for you that started all of this?"

She looks up at him again, a nervous smile trying to come to her lips. "So does this mean that every time you do something for me, you'll end up shot, and me having to do all the work?"

He looks at her from the corner of his eyes, happy with the playful banter. "How else am I going to get your arm around me?"

He questions the wisdom of his comments as she suddenly looks away from him, and lowers her head. And then they step outside of the cantina, back into the pounding light of the twin suns, and begin the long trek back to their ship.

They arrive back at the ship without any further problems, and Sannah props him up on the couch in the common area, and takes off his robe and tunic. Valin for his part leans back, and lets her explore his wound, trying his best to not gasp out in pain, or squirm in laughter from the light touches and probes of her fingers.

Finally, she grabs the medkit and slaps a bacta patch over the wound. "I'm not a healer, but I don't think it's that bad, though you'll probably want to go into a healing trance soon."

Valin lifts his arm to look at the patch, and then leans back once again, closing his eyes. "Thanks Sannah."

He hears her mumble something, but is not quite sure what she said. So he sits up and looks to her; watching as she once more stuffs her hands in her robes. After a second, she turns towards the medkit and begins putting the items back in it.

Finally he decides its time to find out why she puts her hands in her robe like that. "Sannah, can I ask you a personal question?"

He watches as her head shoots around from where she was repacking the medkit. She hesitates a moment before replying. "Yes."

He can see the wariness in her eyes and postures, so he just plunges in with the question. "Why do you keep hiding your hands?"

As he asks, she quickly does so again, and then turns back to what she was doing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"But you just did it! Please let me see your hands."

She turns back towards him, and he looks at her eyes, seeing she is on the verge of tears, as she quickly exposes her hands. He looks down at them, and notices their reddish tint. Without thinking, he asks, "What's wrong with them?"

As he speaks, he notices they turn ever so slightly darker. Then she rushes to her cabin leaving him alone trying to figure out what it all means.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Sannah runs her hand down Valin's side, probing with the Force, checking to make sure there's no major damage from the blaster burn on his side.

Finally deciding there's nothing seriously wrong; she grabs the medkit and fishes out a bactapatch and applies it to the injury. While applying the patch, she speaks without looking at him. "I'm not a healer, but I don't think it's that bad, though you'll probably want to go into a healing trance soon."

She leans back as he inspects her work and says, "Thanks Sannah."

Turning her head away from him, she speaks softly. "It's nothing."

From the corner of her eye, she can see his gaze directed at her, she starts to blush, and quickly hides her hands to keep him from seeing. Then to give herself something to do, she starts repacking the medkit. She focuses on cleaning that up, to keep the embarrassment from her hands.

"Sannah, can I ask you a personal question?"

At the sound of his voice, her head pops around, and she wonders and is scared, by what he may want to ask. "Yes"

He quickly asks his question. "Why do you keep hiding your hands?"

She can feel a strong blush start to rise, and she quickly hides her hands. She then turns her attention back to the medkit. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"But you just did it! Please let me see your hands."

She can feel the tears getting ready to fall. She knows a Jedi is supposed to be calm, and in control of her emotions. Yet she can't seem to stop blushing and crying around him. She holds her hands out, looking down at them, seeing their reddish tint.

"What's wrong with them?"

At his question, she can feel herself blushing even more. Unable to handle it, she quickly stands and rushes to her room.

As her door closes, she hears Valin calling her name.

She leans against the door, trying to get control of her emotions, when there is a slight knock on her door. She can hear his voice, through the thin sheet of metal. "Sannah? I'm sorry Sannah, are you all right?"

She wipes away the tears. "Yes, I just. I need some time alone, okay?"

"Okay. I'm going out into Mos Eisley again to hunt for some information on our smuggler. Com me if you need anything."

Sannah closes her eyes, not entirely certain if she wants him to go or not. "Okay. Be careful please."

"I will."

She presses her ear to the door, listening to the sound of his footsteps as he walks away. She hears the ramp open and a few minutes later close again. Then she allows herself to slide to the floor, and cry.

Finally, she is unable to cry any longer. She stands and walks over to the water basin in the room and quickly washes her face, enjoying the sensation of the water as it trickles down her cheeks.

Sitting once more on the floor, she drags her bags over to her, and opens it up, pulling out a small holocube. Setting it upon the floor, she activates and smiles as an image of Valin, Anakin, Tahiri and herself appears in the air. As she looks at that single snapshoot in time, she hears a familiar voice from behind her.

"Hello Sannah."

She glances over her shoulder, and upon seeing who is standing by her door, spins and scrambles back towards the bed. Standing in the room with her, shining slightly and blue-tinged is Anakin Solo. "Bu-but you're dead!"

He laughs and graces her with a lop-sided smile. Then he looks down at his blue hands, and back up at her. "Yes, I am."

She sees his lopsided smile, and instantly longs for her childhood on Yavin 4. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to guide you."

"Me? But this is not my quest, it's Valin's."

"That is where you are wrong. It is your quest; it was no coincidence that you were suddenly remembered by the Jedi Council when this mission came up."

"So you're here to help us find Jysella?"

"No, it is not yet time for that, and even if it was, I can only guide, not lead."

"I don't understand."

"You don't have to my friend; you just have to trust in the Force."

She looks up at him. "I'm scared Anakin."

He kneels down in front of her. "I know, and that's okay. You have a destiny to reach, one that requires you to be brave, and to trust in yourself and those you love."

Confusion still plagues her. "But how can I trust myself? How can I when I don't even know if I'll ever transform."

"That's why you also have to trust in the Force."

Anakin glances over his shoulder and as he stands up he flashes another grin. He then fades away, as she hears a knock on the door.

"Come."

Valin walks in, holding a couple of packages, and two containers of water. He smiles at her. "I brought dinner, are you still upset at me?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_Jysella opens her eyes to find herself in a room. One she has never been in before, but as in so much lately seems intimately familiar to her. It is a green room, with lots of shadows; little lighting and a low roof, one which makes her feel claustrophobic. There are no chairs, no tables, just seven cylinders along the wall, appearing to be a mixture of bacta tank and sleep cylinders._

_The only other thing to note in the room is a lone person, standing tall, his face covered in shadows. Yet her eyes are drawn to the saber at his belt, its silver handle shining, reflecting the little light there is. She knows this saber, but it is another thing she cannot quite place._

_Two others drag in another man. He appears broken in body; he has some dark, knobby prosthetic, and his head and face are a mass of healed burns. She can see the beginnings of a large bruise on the side of his head which probably accounts for how he appears to be dead weight for those who are bringing him in._

_She watches with a sinking feeling in her stomach, as the first man injects something into the neck of the burned man. She can feel her horror as the man twists and turns, his mouth opened wide in a scream she can't hear. She watches the ice-pale blue chips that are his eyes, and winces in sympathetic agony._

_Then the two drag him over to the first capsule and place him inside. They close the lid, and press a button on the side. The first man gives a quick wave of his hand and the other two quickly rush from the room. He walks over to the capsule and peers inside, and Jysella can now see a thick blackish red fluid is filling the container. She also can see that the burned man is awake, and frightened of what is happening. As she watches the panic on the man's face becomes more pronounced as he pounds on the transparisteel face of the container._

_She sees the first man's shoulders shake slightly, as if he's chuckling._

_Slowly the fluid continues to fill the cylinder, the man's arms now flailing against the face of the container. Finally, the black-red fluid has filled the container entirely, and then it starts to churn, its vicious form moving constantly and violently._

_The first man walks to a small cabinet built into the wall, and pulls out a second injector, and quickly injects himself with something. Jysella watches as the man grasps his arm and breathes in and out heavily._

_She can tell that he's in a lot of pain._

_He starts to lift his head, the movement bringing his face into a shaft of weak sunlight._

With a start Jysella sits up in her bed, a scream sitting on the edge of her tongue, the taste of vomit burning the back of her throat. She runs her hands over her face twice and glances at the chrono.

Noticing that it is only a few minutes before the station's morning she swings out of bed and runs through the refresher, luxuriating in the shower. Letting it wash away the tension and fear generated by her nightmare.

She closes her eyes and leans her head against the wall, and can once more see the burned man screaming.

Quickly she opens her eyes and gets out of the shower, wrapping herself up in a towel. Even in the warm humidity of the refresher, she can't seem to find any warmth.

Still shivering, she leaves the refresher and goes to the wardrobe that stands in the corner of the room. She opens it to reveal a wide selection of clothes of different styles. She sighs as she realizes that the only thing missing are Jedi robes.

She pulls out a pair of tan pants and a white tunic and quickly dresses. Still shivering she looks into the wardrobe and is drawn to a black leather jacket, with a fur collar. She pulls it out, and slips into it. She holds her arms out looking at the jacket as she wears it, the color and texture reminding her of something which she cannot place.

Despite that feeling of having seen it before, she likes the jacket, it is warm without being heavy, and she pulls it tight around her neck, pressing the fur collar to her nose and inhaling deeply.

She catches sight of herself in a full-length mirror that sits in the corner of the room, and sees her mother staring back at her. Startled, she pushes out with the Force toppling the mirror.

She backs away from the mirror, and runs into the door. Her hand reaches out and slaps the panel beside the door opening it, and she continues backing out of her room. Then large hands grab her shoulders. She screams.

From behind her she can hear an easy chuckle. "Easy there, you almost ran this old man down."

Jysella twirls around and sees the old man before her, she runs through her memory trying to remember his name.

"Oh, I'm sorry Tycho. I just," She glances over her shoulder back into the room, as the door slides shut, then looks once more back at him. "I just had a bad dream and a restless night."

She watches him as he smiles at her, and thinks his smile is kind. "I can understand, as I have had a few of those in my life. May I escort you to breakfast?"

"Please."

As they walk down the hall, she catches him looking at her a number of times, always when he thinks she's looking somewhere else, and she wonders about that.

She pats her side, where he saber should hang and is once more disconcerted as it is not there.

"Are you missing something?"

She shakes her head slightly. "Just my lightsaber, I don't think Ben gave it back to me."

He scratches his head. "I don't remember him having it on him when he got off the _Jade's Scion_, so it's probably on her still somewhere. But if so, then you'll have to wait a few days for it, as Ben went on a quick run."

She stops in her tracks and looks at him. "He left me here?"

She can feel the anger and outrage at effectively being stranded in the middle of the Maw. She recognizes those feelings and understands where they come from. It is the disappointment that she is feeling that confuses her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Ben is sitting in the common area of the _Jade's Scion_. On the table in front of him is the silver handle of Jysella's lightsaber.

He reaches out to touch it, and at the last second pulls back. He does this in much the same way he has been doing for the past six hours of this jump.

"Go ahead and pick it up, after all, the lightsaber is in your blood. Skywalker's are naturals with the weapon."

Ben looks up at the ghost standing before him. "How wonderful! Yet another visit from beyond the grave. What can I do for you today Anakin?"

Ben watches as the ghost smiles at him. "You can trust the Force. Pick up the saber and turn it on."

Ben reaches out and grabs the saber, and ignites it. It's silver shaft sparkling, as an occasionally purple wave would run up to the tip. Ben stands and quickly falls into one of the katas that were drilled into him at a young age.

Ben stops and holds the saber up in front of him, closing his eyes. He lets the thrum of the saber fill him and can feel the pure goodness that went into the making of it. As he stands there holding the saber, he can feel the wholeness of the galaxy, the diversity of existence.

"Can you feel it?"

Ben's eyes pop open, he had forgotten about his visitor. He shuts down the saber and tosses it onto the table before looking at the ghost. "I felt nothing, nothing but an archaic and useless weapon."

"You can lie to me all you want, but you should never lie to yourself."

"I don't want the Force!"

"The Force doesn't care. You have a destiny to fulfill, and fulfill it you will. The pieces are already set, the game is in play."

Ben sits back down on the couch. "My life is not a game."

"All life is a game."

"Why me?"

"I believe I have already answered that question."

Ben can feel himself grinding his teeth, and with an effort forces himself to stop. "Do you realize just how annoying you are?"

Anakin throws his head back and laughs. As he continues laughing he sits on the table across from Ben. "Actually, you would be surprised just how much I do know. My Master used to say such things, and I despised it. Of course now I know just how right he was."

Ben gets up and walks into the cockpit slipping into the pilot's chair.

"You can't run from it anymore Ben."

Ben looks over his shoulder and sees the ghost sitting in the copilot's station. Frowning he says, "I got a horizon class because I didn't want a copilot besides Fiver, you can go away anytime."

"With the Force or without, you will face your destiny."

Ben turns back around to watch the blue swirl of hyperspace. Letting its swirls soothe and calm him. When he turns back around the ghost is gone once more. Sighing, he leans his head against the headrest and wonders just what those final words meant.

The beeping from the navicomputer takes his attention, and Ben prepares to drop out of hyperspace. As the timer reaches five seconds he suddenly grasps the levers, and pulls them back, dropping the ship out of hyperspace early.

With a flicker of pseudo-motion, the stars reappear around him, as well as three X-wing star fighters. They are sitting slightly ahead of him, aimed where his ship should have dropped out of hyperspace at.

Frowning, he activates the defensive systems, and arms the torpedo array. As the X-wings begin to turn around and face him, he gains a quick target lock on the first X-wing and lets a torpedo fly.

Not waiting to see if it hits, he pours power into his sublight engines and the _Scion _jumps ahead, twisting around the fighters.

An explosion to his starboard aft, tells him that he now only faces two fighters. He sends his ship into a dive, as a warning light tells him that he is in a target lock himself.

Muttering curses under his breath, he releases the counter measures, and spins the _Scion _around. Running straight toward one of the X-wings, he activates a turbolaser. Sighting the weapon instinctively he fires and can feel a surge of triumph as the blast rips away two of the s-foils. He fires a second time, and can see the nose of the X-wing shred away, dumping proton torpedoes out into space.

The feelings of triumphs are short-lived as he notices that his aft shields are down to fifty percent.

Ben looks into his rear scopes and sees the last X-wing there, taking potshots at him. He can feel a surge of anger at the anonymous fighter pilot and quickly shunts all power into his aft shields.

Then he puts full power into the reverse thrusters, throwing the _Scion _at the X-wing.

There is a growling sound of stressed metal as the X-Wing is unable to fully evade the _Scion_. Ben sees it flash past the cockpit, one of its wings pulled back at an odd angle and wonders just how much damage to his ship that caused. He aims the turbolaser again, and presses the fire button.

Instead of the weapon firing, Ben hears the sound of a small explosion from his own engine compartment.

Cursing loudly, he spins the ship, and once more activates the torpedo array; he gets a lock, just as his own warning system lights up. He quickly fires his torpedo, and shifts all energy to the bow shields.

Both torpedoes impact nearly at the same time, Ben's quickly overpowers the X-Wings shields and destroys the fighter. The fighter's torpedo explodes against the _Scion_'s shields, the energies released in the explosion quickly over powering them, sending her into an uncontrolled tumble, dead in space.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Startled Valin watches as she flees the room.

Hesitantly, he walks to her cabin and knocks lightly on her door. He can feel the tempest of emotions that she's trying to not broadcast through the Force. "Sannah? I'm sorry Sannah, are you all right?"

He can barely hear her voice through the door. "Yes, I just. I need some time alone, okay?"

Frowning, not entirely certain on what to do, he decides to give her that time. "Okay. I'm going out into Mos Eisley again to hunt for some information on our smuggler. Comm me if you need anything."

Again he can barely make out her voice, it sounds weak and confused. "Okay. Be careful please."

"I will."

He watches the door for a moment, and then steps into his room to get a new tunic and robe and walks out of the ship.

He watches as the ship closes up, and quickly locks it to ensure no one will enter while he's gone.

Slipping quietly from place to place, using the Force to mask his presence and to ensure that others do not see him, unless and until he wants them to. He stops random people on the street, showing an image of Whitesun asking if they had seen him before. Then he starts ducking into various shops and cantinas asking within them as well.

Ultimately, Valin finds himself in a corner booth of a bar on the far side of Mos Eisley.

He is intently listening to a deal being made between two smuggler's agents and what had caught his attention was the name "Whitesun."

He smiles as he realizes that they are discussing the transfer of a data packet, similar to what was used in the sting operation where he had almost caught the smuggler. Quickly memorizing the coordinates for the transfer, he silently slides away from the booth, and goes to the bar to order a drink.

As he is silently drinking, a large hand drops on his shoulder. Casting a quick glance over that shoulder, he feels his heart sink. Towering behind him is the large being that shot him earlier.

"Hello runt. You and that fem of yours killed Qem. Now I'm going to make you hurt."

Valin glances to either side of him, and sees two others who look basically the same as the first; all appear to share a common desire to make Valin feel pain.

Valin's fist shot out catching the first man in his solar plexus, leaving him gagging and gasping for breath. A quick punch to the stomach and then an even quicker uppercut sends the man to the floor. He steps on him and uses him as a springboard to jump towards the second guy, but number three catches his foot and slams him into the floor.

Valin rolls to the left, and grabs his saber. He quickly stands and ignites the saber, holding it in a high ready.

He stalks forward slightly. "Last chance guys, run away and don't bother me again."

The two still standing, look at one another and quickly start to back away.

Valin looks at the man on the floor, and sees him staring up at him, a look of fear in his face. Valin frowns down at him and waves his hand. "Shoo."

All three quickly scurry away.

Turning back to the bartender he orders a meal for Sannah and himself and heads back to the _Big Eye_.

Setting the food on the table, he goes into the cockpit and turns on the Hypercom, to contact the Jedi Council.

As the image of Jacen Solo appears, Valin bows his head. "I have news Master."

Valin lifts his head to see Jacen scratching at his chin, looking at Valin intently. "Report."

"The smuggler Whitesun shall be in the Antimeede System tomorrow for a data packet transfer. I'm sending the exact coordinates to you now."

"You have done very good Valin, but I sense doubt and fear in you."

Valin quickly swallows. "No Master, I have no doubts, I'm just trying to get my sister back."

Jacen leans back into his seat. "Good. Again, I must say that it is highly important that neither you nor your sister set foot aboard the _Errant Venture_. Are we clear on that fact?"

"Yes Master. Might I ask why?"

"No."

Valin's eyes widen slightly at the sharpness of the reply. Having a hard time remembering when he had been denied information regarding a mission in such a fashion.

Jacen turns to look off screen at something that Valin can't see, and then focuses once more on Valin. "We will handle this contact with Whitesun. You stay out there and try to find more information regarding him and his base of operations."

"I obey Master."

Jacen smiles at Valin. "Good. Ossus out."

As the screen goes dead, Valin gives a slight involuntary shudder and then stands and retrieves the food he had brought.

Walking over to the Sannah's door he lightly knocks. He notices that her voice sounds stronger, more sure of itself. "Come."

He walks in and sees her sitting near her bed on the floor. He smiles at the somewhat innocent expression on her face. "I brought dinner, are you still upset at me?"

He can feel his spirits lift slightly at her return smile. "No, I'm not upset, and thank you for dinner, I'm starving."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

She sits and watches as Valin places a blanket on the floor, and sets out them each a plate. He glances towards her. "I hope ribynes are okay, they're a local favorite, and I know Master Skywalker likes them."

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

She scoots forward picking up her plate, and look at the brownish-red meat that sits there. She inhales deeply and savors the smell of cooked meat. Deciding she has nothing to lose, she picks one up and bites into it. Delighted in the taste she smiles once more at Valin, and around a mouthful says, "It's not fish, but it's still great!"

He laughs slightly and starts to eat his own meal.

After their impromptu picnic on her cabin floor, Sannah looks at Valin and once more finds her emotions tangled, unsure of what she should be saying or doing. "Valin?"

He glances up at her from the remains of his desert. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about earlier."

He smiles, causing her heart to flutter slightly. "It's okay, I shouldn't have been prying."

She glances away from him. "So did you find anything while you were out?"

"Yes I did. I forwarded some coordinates for a supposed meeting between Whitesun and some other smuggler to the Jedi Council and then asked around some more, but didn't get much additional work done. I think all the information we can get from this planet has already been gotten, I was thinking we might try Nar Shadda next."

She frowns. "Well, it must be hard to do this without even an image of the guy."

"Oh, we do have an image; it was in a data update from last night. Didn't you see it?"

She shakes her head. "No."

She watches as he digs around in an inside pocket of his robe and then pulls out a flimsiplast still image of a man. He passes it to her, and she recognizes the smuggler. Frowning she looks back up at Valin. "Are you playing a joke on me?"

She can see his eyes widen slightly, and notices as he subtly leans back from her a bit. "No. Why?"

She turns the picture around and shows it to Valin once more. "This is Ben."

"Ben?"

"Yes, Ben. Ben Skywalker."

Valin shakes his head slightly, "Who is that? Is he related to the Grand Master?"

Sannah can feel herself start to get upset, and notices that her pulse has started to rise. "What? How can you not know who that is? We were both on the _Errant Venture_ when he was born. He trained on Ossus with your sister after the Swarm War." She slings the flimsiplast back at Valin. She can feel herself trembling slightly in anger. "Why are you making fun of me this way?"

"I'm not! I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop it! Stop making fun of me. I thought you cared about me!"

"Seriously Sannah, I'm not making fun of you."

She can feel the first tear as it starts to slide down her cheek. She is not quite sure if she is outraged at his behavior or depressed that he would treat her so. "If you're not making fun of me, then why pretend you don't know Ben?"

"Wait a second; did you say that he trained with Jysella? And that he was born on the _Errant Venture_?"

"Yes. You were there, we went together to see Master Mara in the infirmary a few days after she gave birth."

She watches as Valin opens his mouth and closes it a few times. Each time he does so, she can feel her anger grow just a little bit more. "But I've never been on the _Errant Venture_, by order of the Council I'm not allowed on the _Errant Venture_. I had never even heard of that ship until Master Solo gave me this mission! And who is Master Mara?"

She now clearly feels the anger and outrage. She knows that he's being mean to her on purpose, that he has been playing with her feelings, that he has just been pretending to be her friend. "Get out of my room! Now!"

"But Sannah-"

She stands up, and clenches her fist where they are at by her side, her body trembling slightly in her anger. "I said now!"

She suddenly Force pushes him towards the door. She can feel her tears starting to flow freely. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

She scowls at Valin as he rights himself from the Force push, and taps the panel by the door. As it slides open he stands and faces her, she sees a look of sorrow cross his face, and it makes her even madder.

As he opens his mouth to say something, she sends him tumbling out into the common area with another Force push. "I said out!"

Then she rushes to the door and slaps the panel. Once the door is fully closed, she locks it and collapses against it. She slowly sinks to her knees, keeping her forehead against the door, while allowing the sobs and tears full control. Part of her is ashamed at the way she has lost control, yet she is still angry and heartbroken that Valin would treat her in that way.

She trusted him with her fears, with her sorrows, and he played with her and with her feelings.

Distantly she can once more hear Anakin's words to her. "You have a destiny to reach, one that requires you to be brave, and to trust in yourself and those you love."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Jysella snaps her mouth shut as she realizes that it had been hanging open.

She turns away from Tycho, trying to figure out her feelings, and then abruptly wheels on him again. "He just upped and left me here?"

She watches as Tycho chuckles slightly. "Yes, I'm certain that's what I said."

She spins from him and resumes her walk down the hall to the mess, her feet stomping loudly on the metal deck. Tycho follows, still chuckling to himself.

As she enters, she scans the room, and then gets herself some warm cereal and a protein shake. She randomly picks a table to sit at and starts spooning sweetener onto the cereal. As a shadow covers her, she looks up at Tycho, whose face still shows his merriment. "Mind if I join you?"

Sighing, she shakes her head and points with her spoon at the empty chair right in front of him.

They eat their cereal in silence, Jysella once more wondering why Ben would suddenly leave.

"So Knight Horn, do you happen to be related to Corran Horn?"

Startled she looks up from her bowl at Tycho. "Oh! I'm sorry, I was lost in thought, what was that?"

Tycho smiles at her. "Are you related to Corran Horn?"

She nods her head. "Yes, he's my daddy."

She watches as Tycho leans back in his chair, an odd look crossing his face. "You know I was in Rogue Squadron with him, back when the New Republic was first formed."

Suddenly interested, Jysella focuses her full attention on the man, her disappointment and sadness at being left behind temporarily forgotten. "Really? Daddy never talked much about those days, did you know him well?"

"I knew him. He saved my life, I saved his. My personal favorite was that I was accused of murdering him."

Both Jysella and Tycho spin towards the door as they hear a new voice. "Ah Tycho my love, are you telling tales of ancient history again?"

Jysella looks at her, and thinks how regal Winter holds herself. Finally after a moment, she decides it's in the tilt of her chin, and the flash of defiance still visible in her eyes, but Jysella thinks she looks like royalty.

As Tycho answers her, she turns her attention back to him. "Of course, did you know that this young Jedi is the daughter of Lieutenant Horn?"

As Jysella turns back to Winter, she has the unmistakable impression that Winter knew that already. She frowns slightly as Winter smiles at her and then sits down on the far side of Tycho, so that Jysella is between the two of them.. "Truly? This is a small galaxy. How is Corran these days?"

Feelings of paranoia flow into Jysella. She stands and leans over the table, her head swinging from one to the other. "What are you both hiding from me?"

"Why exactly would we hide something from you?"

"I don't know," as she continues, Jysella points a finger at Winter, "but I do know that you knew that my father is Corran Horn."

Jysella watches as Winter's face flows into a blank mask, worthy of any Jedi or senior politician. "Did I ever say otherwise?"

Jysella can feel her outrage shift to confusion. A denial or an attempt to change the topic she was expecting, but Winter's response caught her off guard. "No. But, you made it sound that way."

Winter smiles at her, one which makes Jysella feel like she is in school again, and has just given a really wrong answer to a simple question. "One would think that as a Jedi, you would know the difference."

"I, I just don't know." As she speaks, Jysella slumps back into her chair, placing her hands on the edge of the table so that she can look at her palms. "Everything used to be so clear, I am a Jedi, I had a purpose, and I served the Council. Yet ever since I woke on Ben's ship, I've been confused and off balance. Like I should be remembering something, but it refuses to come to me. I know my family is probably worried sick about me, but I feel like I shouldn't contact them. And then I'm here telling all this to two people who may as well be strangers!"

She watches as Winter takes on of her hands. "It's okay Jysella. And there are things that we know, that we have not told you. Starting with that not only do we know your parents, but we know them well, along with the Masters Skywalker, and the Solos."

Jysella looks at Winter, and can feel her own confusion, and the beginnings of that same irrational fear she felt when Ben dropped out of hyperspace in front of the Maw. "Then why have I never seen either of you before?"

As she watches, Winter quickly looks towards Tycho and then down at where her hand still grasps Jysella's. "That's the thing Jysella, you have seen us before, many, many times in fact."

As Winter finishes speaking, Tycho sets a portable holoimage cube on the table in front of Jysella and then presses a button on it. An image appears centered within it is Jysella with her parents and brother, on one side are Tycho and Winter and on the other side are another couple both with dark brown hair.

As the images cycle, Jysella can feel her confusion and fear as there before her is herself and this couple throughout her life. The final image in the series, is her in her early teens, with a younger looking Tycho and another, familiar man, one with a widow's peak, and a cigar clenched in his teeth as he smiles around it. A man she had seen in a vision discussing her father with a twilik.

With horror she realizes that these images displayed her life.

A life she did not know.

A life she could not remember.

Ultimately she realizes that it is a life that someone took from her.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Ben lifts his head up from the console, and looks out into space, the twirling stars adding to his own dizziness. Looking down at the console, he sees the bright splash of red across it, a mixture of blood and error lights.

Gingerly, he touches the spot on his head which seems to be the focal point for whichever ewok had been using it for a drum, and is rewarded with a sharp spike of pain. Pulling his hand away, he notices that his fingers are sticky from half-dried blood.

He stands, the cockpit swaying in a way that has nothing to do with the uncontrolled tumble of the ship.

Hesitantly he walks back to the engine compartment, keeping a hand on the wall for balance. Once there, he opens the door to a mass of fried panels and circuitry.

"What a mess you've gotten into this time."

Ben spins around at the unexpected voice, the disorientation he's feeling extending the spin, until he hits the wall and slides to the floor.

Opening his eyes, Ben looks around, wondering how he got to the engine compartment. Looking ahead he sees the Force Ghost looking at him with a worried expression on his translucent face.

"Are you okay Ben?"

Ben nods his head, the movement sending his stomach reeling.

"Can you stand?"

Ben looks at him, and grasps a cable that is hanging from the ceiling, using that to pull himself up.

"Good Ben, now walk towards me, towards the cockpit."

Ben slowly follows him, leaning against the wall for balance. He rubs his right ear. "Make it stop."

"What stop?"

"The ringing, make it stop."

"There is no ringing Ben, that's due to your injuries. Now just a few more steps and you'll be in the cockpit." Ben frowns at the ghost.

Ben enters the cockpit and slides into one of the seats, leaning his head back against the headrest.

Opening his eyes, he looks around, wondering how he got back to the cockpit. Turning he sees Anakin kneeling next to him, a look of worry and fear on his face. Ben opens his mouth to talk, but nothing wants to come out. He tries again. "Whu you doin' shere."

Ben frowns at Anakin's smile. It appears faked or forced somehow. "Helping you."

"Donch whan yer help."

"I know. I need you to activate the emergency beacon."

Ben looks at the console, and sees it there, ready, waiting, an insurance that he will be caught and put in jail.

"Can't, they'll 'rest me."

"If you don't you'll die here. Your injuries are severe and you've lost a good amount of blood. You are in no shape to make even simple repairs to your ship, let alone the ones that she requires right now."

Ben looks at the button, one that would guarantee his life, but at the potential cost of his independence, his anonymousness. Yet he also knows the ghost is right. Sighing, he reaches out and slaps it, activating the emergency beacon.

Ben leans back into his seat, allowing his eyes to drop close.

He sits up suddenly at the loud noise, and instantly regrets it. A wave of nausea overcomes him, and he leans over and throws up beside his pilot's station.

Standing, he fights off the light dizziness and decouples Fiver from the droid socket, ignoring the droid's whistles.

As he slowly walks back towards the cofferdam, he can hear the sounds of people boarding his ship. Stopping for a second in the common area, he picks up Jysella's lightsaber and sticks it into one of Fiver's compartments. Looking around the room, he is somewhat glad that he currently has no contraband on board. He pats the droid on the head, and starts walking towards the rear of the ship.

As he rounds a corner, he comes face to face with one of the boarders. The man stares at Ben, his blaster aimed directly ahead, directly for Ben's chest. Ben frowns; the white-shelled armor the man wears gives him both an anonymous and menacing appearance.

Ben smiles at him. "Thanks for coming."

The man doesn't move, doesn't reply, but his blaster remains trained on Ben. A few moments later a couple more of the soldiers walk up; one of the soldiers has officer's stripes on his uniform. "Put you hands on your head."

Ben complies. "What have I done wrong Officer?"

"This ship is a suspected smuggler vessel. Likewise, you are under suspicion of being the smuggler commonly known as Whitesun. Do you deny any of this?"

Ben frowns for a second, his thoughts still feel sluggish. "What is there to deny in your statement, all you said is you suspect certain things, how can I deny what you suspect, when you just told me what it is you do suspect."

He watches, slightly amused, as the three soldiers look amongst themselves, uncertainty coloring their actions.

Ben tenses as a new voice joins the conversation, one that is cold and hard, and that Ben has heard to often over the years. "Still trying to talk your way out of situations Ben? Why not rely on the Force? You could easily overpower their minds."

Ben turns towards the sound, a mixture of fear, anger and disgust climbing his spine. "Hello cousin."

Ben watches as Jacen Solo's mouth twitch into a smile, and he holds his arms open wide, as if wanting to embrace Ben.

"What? Are you not happy to see me?" Jacen takes a step closer. "My, my Ben, you really need to take better care of yourself."

"I was doing just fine, until you tried to blow me up."

Jacen's smile is feral and dark, and Ben has to suppress the urge to shudder. "You are a Jedi, and as such, need to follow the will of the Force and the Council. You have been on your own for far too long Ben; it is time for you to come in out of the dark."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Valin can feel the Force push as it slams into him knocking him against the door. He can hear Sannah's voice as it rises in volume due to her anger. "Get out! Get Out! Get Out!"

Valin reaches up and opens the door, and can feel an unexplainable sadness well up within him. He wishes she would stop yelling so they could talk about it. As he opens his mouth once more to ask her what was wrong, his danger sense goes off.

Then he is tumbling into the common area, the after effects of Sannah's Force Push knocking various objects from their shelves behind him. He comes to a rest against the blast couch that is set up against the far wall from Sannah's room, and slumps to the floor.

Standing, he winces at the flare of pain from his blaster wound, and walks towards her door. From the other side, he can hear her tears and that unexplainable sadness grows in intensity.

Looking around the room, not sure what to do, he sits in the middle of the floor of the common area, watching the door to Sannah's cabin. Absently rubbing his shoulder where it was bruised from her Force push. As he watches the door, he can realize that he can still hear her cries and sobs, and can feel the sadness and grief pouring off of her.

He can feel his frustration and confusion bubbling over, and wonders just what had just happened. They were enjoying the meal together when she forcibly removed him from the room.

Then he realizes that that is not exactly what had happened, he showed her the picture of Whitesun first. He searches his memory, trying to remember the name that she called him. Finally it comes to him. Ben, Ben Skywalker.

Sitting up slightly so he can meditate, Valin wonders just what Sannah's connection to the smuggler, and the _Errant Venture_ is, and he wonders why he feels so horrid that she's crying.

For the first time since his sister was taken, he is wondering not what trouble his sister has gotten into, but just what type of trouble he is finding himself in.

Closing his eyes, he evens out his breathing and begins to meditate.

_He opens his eyes, to a scream. In front of him lying on a bed is a woman with red hair, and ashen skin. She is giving birth, and beside her he can see a younger Master Skywalker. He notices that Master Skywalker's face appears drawn and in pain, suffering emotionally and physically alongside the red-haired woman._

_Finally the child is born._

_He sees people come and go, including Anakin, and Tahiri, both appearing in their teens. A brief stab of pain flows into Valin at the sight of his two close friends who have been gone from his life for so long. He sees his parents looking young and spry, carrying a three year old child that he recognizes as Jysella._

_Then he sees himself and Sannah come into the room, walking hand-in-hand, he is laughing at something she has said. Valin can feel the happiness that he is exuding in this vision, and realizes that it is something which is lacking from his life. He watches as Sannah drops his hand and rushes to the woman, the smile that lights her face is amazing._

_Then the world fades away._

_To be replaced with a walkway that is burning. Valin watches as Whitesun battles someone else with a lightsaber. He is amazed at the ferocity and grace evident in their battle, the way each move seems to flow from one to another, always perfectly placed, always perfectly parried._

_Then as he watches the fight, he can see his sister walk out onto the platform, he sees her eyes widen in shock and surprise, and can hear her voice call out in clear concise tones. "Valin! No!"_

_He spins back to the lightsaber fight, and Whitesun's opponent steps into a shaft of light, and Valin can see his own face, twisted with hate and anger. It is a face in stark contrast to the calm composure found on Ben's._

Suddenly Valin is propelled from the vision. He finds himself squirming on the deck of the Big Eye, holding his head in his hands due to the sudden pain.

As he squirms on the deck, he is overcome with another vision. He can feel himself being held down to a table, straps holding his arms and legs, someone's hands holding his head, and he can see a hand reaching out to his head, one that glows with Force energy.

Then the darkness overcomes him.

He awakens to a hand pressed gently against his forehead; he can feel the Force energy flowing into him. Startled, he starts scampering back from the hand, a cry of terror nearly escaping his lips.

"Valin, be still please."

Looking at the speaker, he can feel his fears collapse under their own weight. He manages a weak smile for Sannah. "Sorry."

"What happened?"

Valin sits up, holding his head with one hand. "I'm not sure, I was trying to meditate after our little," he hesitates as he looks at her, wondering if she is feeling better. "After our little spat, when I started to come out of the vision, I felt an intense pain, and I guessed I blacked out and had a nightmare."

She looks away from him. "When I found you out here unconscious, I contacted Master Solo, and he ordered us to meet him in the Teferglon System, which is where we are heading now."

As she starts to stand, Valin reaches out and grasps her hand. She turns to look at him. "I'm sorry Sannah."

She looks away from him. "Forget it Valin. I was being a silly youngling."

As she starts to stand once more, Valin continues to hold onto her hand. She turns to look at him, and he pulls her down to her and kisses her.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Sannah awakens still kneeling on the floor with her head against the door. Stretching, she curses her own foolishness, not only for allowing her feelings about Valin to rekindle, but for allowing herself to fall asleep on the floor. No matter how emotionally exhausted she was.

She quickly runs through the shower, allowing the steaming water to loosen the muscles in her neck, then dresses in the simple Jedi robes. She takes a deep breath, calming her emotions, pushing her feelings for Valin away. She is a Jedi, and they are on a mission.

She opens the door and walks into the common area and sees Valin. She rushes to his side, and can feel his pain in the Force.

She starts to shake him, attempting to awaken him. "Valin!"

She shakes him again, and leans down close to listen to his breathing and heart. "Valin, please don't do this to me."

Scared, she gets up and goes to the com station to contact the Council. As she is waiting, she keeps glancing over her shoulder looking at Valin's still form. Finally someone comes online. She turns towards the com and see Jacen's face looking at her, watching her. A brief unrecognizable emotion crosses it as she quickly bows her head. "Master Solo, something is wrong with Valin, he's unconscious in the common area of the ship."

"Is he dead?"

"No Master, just unconscious and would not awaken."

"Very well, meet me in the Teferglon System; I'm here with an Alliance cruiser and it is large enough to have an infirmary. Getting him here will be quicker than taking him all the way back to Ossus. Solo out."

As the screen goes dark, she frowns at it. Why would Jacen answer for the Council if he's not on Ossus?

Pushing her thoughts about Jacen away, she launches the starship and plots a course for the Teferglon System. Surprised with herself as the navicomputer returns a good signal on her first attempt, Sannah pulls the levels hurtling them into hyperspace.

Then she rushes back to Valin.

She kneels beside him, and presses her hand against his forehead, sending him encouragement and healing through the Force.

Suddenly he is pushing away from her, and she can once again feel his emotions in the Force. Fear and terror are pouring off of him. "Valin, be still please."

She notices as the fear clears from his eyes, and he gives her a weak smile. "Sorry."

"What happened?"

She watches as he sits up. "I'm not sure, I was trying to meditate after our little," he hesitates as he looks at her, wondering if she is feeling better. "After our little spat, when I started to come out of the vision, I felt an intense pain, and I guessed I blacked out and had a nightmare."

She looks away from him, not trusting herself to look into his eyes. "When I found you out here unconscious, I contacted Master Solo, and he ordered us to meet him in the Teferglon System, which is where we are heading now."

She starts to stand, to get away from him as he grabs her hands. She looks at him, into his eyes. So blue is the thought that crosses her mind as he says, "I'm sorry Sannah."

She looks away from him, still not fully trusting herself. "Forget it Valin. I was being a silly youngling."

Deciding that he is now done, she starts to stand once more, but he still won't release her hand. She looks at him, as he quickly pulls her to him and kisses her.

Once more her emotions are going through a roller coaster. She remembers their first kiss, mere hours before seeing little Ben for the first time. She remembers how he was just treating her, how he has effectively ignored her these many long years, as so many of the Jedi have since Anakin's death. She remembers how happy they were during the Vong War.

She returns the kiss.

She feels these conflicting emotions, but the one that outshines all the others is the joy at being in his arms once more. If this lasts for just a few minutes, and she starts to change here and now, she will die happy with this memory.

As he pulls away slightly from them, she opens her eyes once more and can feel his confusion in the Force. As she watches him she can feel tears trying to escape her eyes. "Please Valin; please don't play with me again."

"What?"

She turns away from him. "After the Vong War, you disappeared for awhile, spending time with your parents and grandfather. Then you came back, and you never came to see me, and it's, it's nothing." She glances down to where he still holds her hand. "Can I have my hand back now?"

"Not until you tell me what you were going to say."

She looks into his eyes once more, and can feel one of the tears escape. "I loved you Valin. All those long, lonely years, I loved you. You were the first boy I ever kissed, and I used to be afraid of the transformation, afraid of leaving you behind. Then you stopped coming to talk to me, stopped being around me, and the pain slowly faded, as the greater sadness of not transforming, not becoming an adult took hold."

She pauses, taking a deep breath before continuing. "And these past few days have made me realize that I love you still. Especially coming out here and finding you on the floor not moving."

Valin looks away from her. "In my vision, I saw us on a starship, holding hands, walking into an infirmary room with Master Skywalker and a red-haired woman who was holding a baby." Valin turns back to her, and she sees the tears in his eyes. "What troubles me the most is that I know I did those things, with you, and I was happy while doing it, happier than I've been since the Vong War ended. But, I can't find a memory of me doing those things."

Sannah can feel her fear as she begins to understand what he's saying, as he spells it out for her. "Sannah, someone stole huge parts of my life from me."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 **

Jysella stares at the image for a few moments more. Finally she points towards the man with a cigar in his mouth and looks at Tycho. "Who is that?"

She watches as Tycho's eyes flick from the image to her, to Winter then back to her. Finally he looks down, as Winter answers her question. "His name is Booster Terrik; he is the captain of the _Errant Venture_, father of Mirax Terrik." As she hears her mother's name, Jysella's head shoots around to face Winter, who has her eyes closed, reciting information as if she's reading from a datapad. "Grandfather to Valin and Jysella Horn. His wife died unexpectedly to heart failure sometime around 5 BBY. His wife's name was Jysella Terrik. He never remarried."

Jysella just stares in shock at Winter. After a few moments, she shakes slightly. "Are you saying that he is my grandfather?"

Tycho answers. "Yes, that is what we're saying."

She turns to look at Tycho. "But I don't have one, they're both dead, and have been for decades."

Tycho slowly shakes his head. "No, Booster is alive and well. Ben wasn't exactly sure how you would react to all of this information, and was planning on telling you when he returned."

"How can I not know this stuff? It's all about me? It's my life. My family!"

Winter answers and Jysella can feel the sadness flowing from the older woman. "None of us knows why you can't seem to remember anything."

"I think I may know."

The three turn to look towards the door, seeing Cal standing there. She smiles at them as she walks over and sits in the final chair at the table.

She reaches out and touches Jysella in the center of her forehead before speaking again. "The Force is twisted and unnatural right here in your presence. Someone has ripped these memories from you. Someone who is very powerful in the Force."

Jysella frowns at her. "Are you a Jedi?"

Cal laughs. "No, though I was once, a long time ago. Back before you were born. I made some bad decisions, did things that were unnatural, and then had to spend thirty years finding a way to access the Force that did not involve the Dark Side."

Jysella looks between the three others that sit at the table. "But there is no Dark Side?"

"Rubbish, pure rubbish, where did you hear that drivel?"

"That's what is taught at the Academy, it's what the Council teaches. There is no Dark Side, just our own natures."

Cal leans back in her chair and stares off at the ceiling for a moment before focusing on Jysella once more. "Has Luke fallen so far?" Then she waves her hand and sits forward. "Time is not on our side here. Ben has been captured by the Jedi, we must go help him."

Jysella closes her eyes and probes the Force.

Opening her eyes once more, Jysella shakes her head. "No, I need to go see my grandfather."

Tycho nods his head. "That can be arranged."

Cal frowns at her. "You would leave Ben to his fate at the hands of the Jedi?"

Jysella looks at her, and can feel anger flash through her. "I am a Jedi if you will remember. But I think I know someone who will rescue him if I ask him to." She turns towards Tycho. "Can you take me to the Holocom?"

Tycho nods his head, and leads her from the room, with Winter following and Cal sitting at the table, frowning at the spot Jysella had just left.

As they arrive at the com center, Jysella activates the Hypercom, and enters the code for her brother. After a few minutes he appears on the screen, a look of shock crossing his face. "Jys! Where are you?"

Jysella smiles at him. "That doesn't matter now. I am about to leave to go see our grandfather, I need you to rescue Ben. He was in the- hold on." She turns to look at Tycho, "Where was the meeting?"

"Antimeede System"

Once more facing Valin, she continues speaking. "He was in the Antimeede System, and captured. Can you do this for me?"

"Grandfather? Wait who's Ben? The smuggler who kidnapped you?"

Jysella laughs slightly. "Yes, that's him. Now will you rescue him? Then ask him to take you to the _Errant Venture_, that's where I will be."

Valin frowns. "Jacen said that if you set foot aboard the _Errant Venture_ then you would be expelled from the Order."

Behind her she can hear Tycho mumbling something about ungrateful brats, but she keeps her focus on Valin. "That doesn't matter Valin. Please do this for me; I'll explain everything when I see you, or at least what I can explain."

She watches as Valin deflates a little, and then sees him pushed out of the way as a second face appears in the transmission. She looks familiar, but Jysella can't quite place her face. Jysella likes the sound of her voice though as she answers for Valin. "Yes, we will go get Ben and take him to the _Venture_. We will see you there."

She disappears from the screen and Jysella watches with impatience as Valin turns his head from the direction she went back to her. "I guess we'll see you there, I'm happy you're all right Jys."

Jysella shakes her head. "I'm not all right, nothing is anymore."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 **

Ben watches Jacen and subtly scoots himself closer to Fiver. "I was never in the dark Jacen. I'm happy out here. I don't want to be a Jedi."

Jacen's cold eyes follow him. "Well, the Jedi have missed you and you will become one. So tell me cousin, where have you been all these years?"

Ben places his hand on Fiver. "Here and there, and the Jedi can shove it out an airlock as far as I'm concerned."

Ben notices one of the guards chuckling in amusement. Jacen turns from him, and looking at the officer says, "Bring him."

As the guards surround him, Ben frowns at Jacen's retreating back. A sharp prod by a blaster starts Ben walking after him. As he walks, Ben is trying his best to figure out how he can escape. Unfortunately, he is drawing a blank.

Jacen leads them down the egress hatch, and into the bustling landing bay of an Imperial class star destroyer. Ben looks around, and fails to see anything of interest, but notes that the repair crews have already started doing repair work to the Scion.

He speaks to Jacen's back. "That's awfully nice of you to repair my ship for me."

"Well we are cousins are we not? After all you're a Jedi. It is not like you're a smuggler or a pirate right?"

Ben keeps his face passive, and tries his best to not jump Jacen right there. Jacen stops and turns towards him, his face once more twisting into a predatory grin. "Please don't try to assault me. I have the Force on my side."

"Stay out of my mind Jacen."

Jacen steps closer to him, and Ben can feel the anger coming off of him. "Then don't give me a reason to be in it Ben."

Then suddenly Jacen spins away once more speaking over his shoulder to Ben's guards. "Take my wayward cousin to the infirmary and then to cell block D. I'll send a Jedi to fetch him in a little while. Oh and Ben? Your dad is going to be thrilled to have you back with us."

Ben finds himself once more grinding his teeth, with a nearly overwhelming desire to shove a foot down Jacen's throat, but a quick prod from one of the blaster's held behind him changes his mind.

Sighing Ben allows himself to be lead to the infirmary and get treated for his concussion.

A short dunk in bacta and Ben is standing before the medics, who are trying to find something wrong with him. After the medics are through poking and prodding, the guards reappear to take him to the detention level, and push him into one of the cells. He spins around to watch the door close, and hears a familiar voice behind him.

"This is good. You've survived."

Ben turns to face the ghost behind him. "I really wish you were solid so I could punch you right now." Ben shakes his head as Anakin laughs. "So, what exactly do you want from me this time?"

Anakin stops laughing and gives Ben his full attention. "I want the same thing as earlier. For you to trust in the Force."

"Why? Why do I have to trust in the Force? What did the Force ever do for me?"

"Did you know that your mother was terminally ill while she was carrying you?"

Ben frowns. "I remember my parent's talking about the Vong poisoning her."

Anakin nods his head. "Yes that's the thing. While you were in the womb, she was fighting for her life. When you were born, she almost died. Do you know why she didn't?"

Ben shakes his head, not trusting himself to speak, not entirely certain he likes where this train of thought is taking him.

"She didn't die because the Force knew you needed your mother."

Ben frowns at him. "But the way you talk about it, the Force is sentient, like it has a plan."

"Who is to say it doesn't?"

"Jacen and my dad."

"Are wrong. The Force is sentient, and has a plan and an overall guiding intelligence. One that is shaped and shared by all the beings of this galaxy. We are all a part of the Force, and the Force is a part of us."

"Then what is the big deal about balance?"

Anakin smiles. "That was my task. To bring balance to the Force. That is the task that will ultimately fall to you and your children as well. Because I ultimately failed at my task, and rather than bring a balance to the Force, I left it in ruins. But I'm getting away from myself, what do you think balance means?"

"We were taught at the Academy that it means to keep things equal, the light and dark inside us should be stable, and us listening to the Force for direction."

Anakin waves his hand, as if pushing away that concept of balance. "Once again, you have been taught, not wrongly, but not entirely correct."

"Then what does it mean?"

"First remember, the balance of the Force is based upon a prophecy made nearly three millennia ago. And it was translated into basic, as such, that means there were some inaccuracies included." As he is speaking, Ben notices that he is getting light and lighter. "To bring balance to the Force means to destroy any and all of one side or the other. Such as destroying all Dark Side users, allowing only the Light to remain. I had the chance to do that, to take away the Dark Side, until the balance of the Force was all that remains. Yet, I failed. I chose the Dark Side, and was unable to destroy the Jedi entirely. Then I was redeemed, and that balance point had passed. Remember how I said that the Force is shared and created by all the inhabitants of the galaxy?"

"Yes"

"Important concept that, for it plays into how the Force shapes things to its will. Yet that will is composed of a dualistic nature, one of light and dark. The first Force users called the separate natures of the Force Asla and Bogan." The ghost waves his hand. "Not important. I was given the choice, and when I made it, the Jedi were slaughtered, then for whatever reason I was presented the choice again, and this time the Sith were not chosen, allowing the Light Side to become dominant once more."

Ben frowns slightly. "Okay."

"The Force will always sway from one side to the other, as power shifts and flows in the galaxy. Then at certain points, a decision must be made, one which will balance the Force again, allowing either the Dark or the Light to become dominant."

Ben gets a sinking feeling in his stomach, as he begins to guess where Anakin is taking this. "What does that have to do with me?"

Anakin points his finger at Ben. "You have to make that decision."

Finally the ghost is gone, and Ben's cell door suddenly opens. Ben turns towards the door and sees the man from the bar standing there, fingering his lightsaber.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Valin can feel Sannah's eyes on him as she speaks. "So what now?"

He shakes his head, his confusion the only constant he has left. "I'm not sure. I think maybe we should meditate a bit. We're enroute to see Jacen, maybe he can help us."

Valin straightens himself up and prepares for meditation. As he sinks into the Force he can feel Sannah's worry and concern. "Are you sure this is a good idea after what happened last time?"

He smiles at her, happy at the concern she is showing for him. "No, but what choice do we have?"

He watches as she settles down beside him. Finally, he sinks fully into the meditation trance, probing the Force for guidance, seeking answers.

_It is a green room, with lots of shadows, little lighting and a low roof, one which makes him feel claustrophobic. There are no chairs, no tables, just seven cylinders along the wall, one of which is filled with a vicious, rolling crimson fluid. So dark, it almost appears black._

_He sees two men dragging in a woman with long red hair, wearing a black jumpsuit. She appears to be in her mid sixties, and he recognizes her as an older version of the woman from the medical bay in his earlier vision. She is struggling hard, and he can feel the Force pulsing around her as she tries to get away from her attackers. He has the distinct impression that he should know her, that he does know her, yet who she is, refuses to come to his mind._

_A third figure walks over to her, and he can see the venom and betrayal in her eyes as she stares at him. In a sudden lunge, she tries to rake her nails down his face, but he just steps out of her range, as one of the men holding her plants his fist in her jaw, sending her to the ground._

_The third man presses an injector to her neck, injecting her with something. Then the first two strip her of her jumpsuit and place her into one of the cylinders, quickly closing it. That cylinder fills with red fluid, as the redhead screams and pounds against the transparisteel._

_He continues to watch as the third figure dismisses the first two with a wave of his hand, and then picks up a second syringe. The third figure walks to the tube the woman was placed in, and presses his hand against the transparisteel as the woman continues to pound and curse. Finally the fluid covers her head, and there is just a final flicker of movement in the tube as a hand presses against the transparisteel and then slowly sinks away._

_The figure pulls up the sleeve of his tunic, and presses the injector to the crook of his arm. As the fluid enters his arm, Valin can tell the process is not an easy one, and just before the figure can lift his face into the light, before the figure is able to show Valin his face, the vision abruptly ends._

Valin's breath catches in his throat as he is propelled from the vision. Opening his eyes, he watches as Sannah suddenly starts scooting herself back from him, fear appearing in her eyes and Force presence.

He quickly follows her, sending calming waves. She looks up at him, tears evident in her eyes. "What was that place? And what did they do to Master Mara?"

He frowns, hoping she didn't suffer the same vision that he saw, yet knowing otherwise. "The green room?"

She nods her head, so he continues. "I'm not exactly sure, I've seen it in a vision before, and it was pretty much the same as this one. A woman is dragged in, injected with something and then shoved into the cylinder."

"What does it-"

As the holocom activates, they both turn their heads towards the communication station. Valin walks over to it, and sitting in the chair activates it, to see Jysella. He can feel his joy at the sight of her, happy that she is safe. "Jys! Where are you?"

He watches her smile as it forms, thinking how much he's missed his sister this last week. He instinctively sits up and closer to the receiver, nearly hanging on every word. "That doesn't matter now. I am about to leave to go see our grandfather, I need you to rescue Ben. He was in the- hold on." She turns away from the com, to talk to someone else, and then returns her attention to Valin. "He was in the Antimeede System, and captured. Can you do this for me?"

"Grandfather? Wait who's Ben? The smuggler who kidnapped you?"

Jysella laughs slightly. "Yes, that's him. Now will you rescue him? Then ask him to take you to the _Errant Venture_, that's where I will be."

Valin can feel worry start to gnaw at his stomach. Slumping his shoulders he leans back into the chair, trying to understand what's happening. "Jacen said that if you set foot aboard the _Errant Venture_ then you would be expelled from the Order."

"That doesn't matter Valin. Please do this for me; I'll explain everything when I see you, or at least what I can explain."

Valin can feel some of his joy fade away at what his sister is asking of him. He wonders how he should answer, if he should do as his sister asks. Finally he makes the decision that since Jacen is probably the one that has him that they will not go against him and the council. Then before he can give her an answer Sannah pushes her way into the receiver and answers for them. "Yes, we will go get Ben and take him to the _Venture_. We will see you there."

As she leans away, Valin watches her, a questioning look on her face. She just waves at him, indicating he should continue his discussion. Valin turns his attention back to Jysella. "I guess we'll see you there, I'm happy you're all right Jys."

Jysella shakes her head. "I'm not all right, nothing is anymore."

"What do you mean?"

She looks up at him, tears appearing in her eyes. "I'm missing half my life Valin, someone has ripped huge parts of it away from me, and it has something to do with the Errant Venture. And the Force is telling me Ben has something to do with it as well."

She once more looks from the com, and then turns her attention to Valin. "We have to go now; I'll see you on the _Venture_. I love you.

Somewhat startled to hear the admission of love from a Jedi, even one that is his sister, Valin doesn't respond before the com turns off. He stares at the empty air where her hologram had appeared for a moment more, wondering once again, just what is going on. Wondering why in an Order that forbids attachments, two members would profess love for him in that short of a time.

He starts to smile as he feels the feather-light touch of Sannah's lips on his cheek. He glances to her, and her warm, inviting, yellow eyes catch his.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 **

Sannah is watching the interaction between brother and sister as they speak over Hypercom. She is enjoying the bubbling happiness that he broadcasts into the Force. Then she hears Jyeslla ask them to go rescue Ben, and she can feel that happiness begin to drop, and notices as Valin sags in his chair.

Noticing his brow creasing in thought, she realizes that he is planning on telling her no. Without thinking, she pushes into range of the transmitter and answers Jysella's question. "Yes, we will go get Ben and take him to the _Venture_. We will see you there."

She can feel Valin's eyes on her as she leans out of range, and waves at him to continue his discussion. Silently she wonders exactly why she did that and the memory of Anakin's grin pops into her head unbidden.

Valin's sudden confusion and the darkening of his emotions in the Force draws her attention once more. As she focuses on him, she notices that he is staring at the silent holocom, wrapped up in thoughts that are bordering on dark.

Again, she acts without thinking and leans over to him and lightly kisses his cheek. She stands back up, as he looks at her, his blue eyes sparkling and showing signs of happiness. She quickly tucks her hands into her robes, feeling them start to redden from embarrassment.

A beep from the navicomputer distracts them, as it is time to come out of hyperspace.

Valin quickly jumps into the pilot's station and pulls the levers dropping them from hyperspace. Looking out the viewport, he can see a star destroyer hanging in space, its white dagger-shape glittering slightly in the glow of its running lights.

There is a beep from the com station, and she looks towards it, and notes what it says. "We have permission to land in the main hanger bay."

Valin nods his head and heads toward the hanger. As they arrive, Valin pilots the ship through the magcon field and lands next to a Horizon-class star yacht. She notices as he stares at the ship. "Do you know that ship? It looks like the one that Master Mara flew during the Vong War."

"I think it's Whitesun's. Is Master Mara the red-head from the vision?"

"Yes."

"Sannah?" Sannah sighs and turns to Valin, as he asks the question that has been bothering her for a while now. "Why do you think that you remember all these things, while Jysella and I don't?"

Sannah can feel an answer, she knows there is one, but does not want to admit it; does not want to give it weight and power by speaking it. She does not want to admit it, because of the deep fears and emotional wounds it will reveal.

"I think." She stops and frowns at Valin, unconsciously shaking her head. "I don't know."

She watches as he turns towards her. "Tell me, please."

She looks out at the star yacht sitting in front of them, taking a deep breath before speaking, calming herself. Closing her eyes she answers him. "I, I think it may be because I was forgotten. Everyone left me alone; they were not concerned about me, not worried about me. I was just stuck in the limbo that was my life, between childhood and adult, not worthy to be tampered with."

She feels his hands on her cheeks, directing her face to look at him. She can once more feel the loneliness and abandonment of these past twenty-eight years. She opens her eyes, and sees his face inches from her. "I promise you Sannah, I will not abandon you."

She throws her arms around him, pulling him into a fierce hug, pressing herself against him, clinging to him.

After a few moments, she releases him, and he stands. "Come on, let's go get Whitesun."

As they leave the _Big Eye_, she watches as Valin walks to a terminal and starts typing away. She watches the guards and those around them, as he turns from the terminal, he flashes her a smile. "Come on, we're going to cell block D."

They enter the detention area, and the first thing they notice is the R2 unit sitting in one corner in power-down mode. Ignoring the droid, Valin waves his hand and they walk past the guards on duty and head directly to the cell they're after.

She watches as Valin opens the door and looks in. She reaches out to touch his shoulder as she notices that his hand is playing with his lightsaber. When he looks at her, she smiles at him. "We're here to rescue him, remember?"

He laughs, and turns back to Ben. "Come on, we're getting you out of here."

She watches as the smuggler steps out of the room. His presence in the Force almost not there, but she recognizes him regardless. She gives him a smile. "Hello Ben, it's been a long time."

She watches as recognition seeps into his face. "Sannah? Wait, you know who I am?"

For once, she feels amusement at this situation. "Yes, but it appears that I am the only one. Now we need to get to the _Errant Venture_."

She leads the way, with Ben right behind her, and goes into the reception area. The guard looks up at them, alarm showing on his face. "Hey! How did you get in here, and where are you going with him?"

With a quick wave of her hand, she pushes out with the Force. "It's okay, we're free to go."

She smiles as the guard mimics what she had just said, and turns to leave. She notices that Ben stops and awakens the R2 droid, and they all head back towards the hanger bay.

They enter and start heading towards their ships, when someone in a Jedi robes steps in front of them. His voice is demanding and instantly recognizable, as Kyp Durron calls out, "Stop. You are not going anywhere."

Valin rushes past Ben, his saber igniting with a snap-hiss. "You're not stopping us Durron."

Sannah screams as Valin is hurtled back because of the Force lightning that Kyp hurtles at him. She rushes to his side, ensuring he is okay.

Absently, she can hear Ben speaking. "Fiver, saber. Sannah, take him to the _Scion_, Fiver can get her started, I'll be there momentarily."

She looks to Ben, and can see the intent expression on his face, the lightsaber in his hand. Then putting all of that out of her mind, she helps Valin up and begins walking towards the _Jade's Scion_


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 **

Jysella sits and stares at the Hypercom for a few more moments before Tycho's voice interrupts her thoughts. "We should probably head out."

Jysella focuses on him, and nods her head. "Okay, lead the way."

As they walk into the corridor they are met by Cal, who is standing there waiting on them. Her grey eyes bore into Jysella's. "Are you certain this is the path the Force leads you down?"

"No, but it is the path I have chosen. I am bound for the _Errant Venture_."

Cal nods her head, and then lifts the hood of her robe to cover her face and head. "I will follow your lead in this young Jedi."

Jysella looks at her traveling companions, an old mystic who claims she was once a Jedi, an old man who claimed he knew her father and his wife. Giving her head a quick shake, to clear the sense of recognition, she starts following Tycho to the hanger.

She looks at the ship in awe as Tycho boards her. It is a Baudo-class yacht, so eerily similar to the ship her parents still fly. She rushes on board, and starts poking around, noticing the pristine shape the ship is still in. Hearing a chuckle, she turns to see Tycho watching her. "You like?"

She smiles at him. "Yes! It's just like mom's."

He nods his head, "I know; your mother is why I picked this particular ship. Her name is the _Winter Belle_." He turns his head to watch Winter and Cal board the ship. "Is everyone ready?"

Jysella frowns. "What about Jemsen?"

Winter answers. "It will probably be safer for him on Shelter, he has Nanny, and there is still a starship here which if we don't return within a certain timeframe, Nanny will use to take him to some friends."

She watches as Tycho and Winter head toward the cockpit, and a few moments later can feel the ship shudder as her engines start in preparation for launch.

She turns around and sees Cal standing there, the top of her face hidden by the robes. "Will you meditate with me?"

Jysella nods her head, and sinks to the floor as Cal does as well. She can see Cal's lips twist into a smile. "Thank you, now what shall we meditate on, the past, present or future?"

Jysella frowns. "I think the answers we need will be found in the past."

"Very well."

With that said, Cal drops into a meditation trance, with Jysella right behind her.

_She watches as a young man hobbles around a starship with a staff, dodging sand people and gamorreans. Then sees a very young, very beautiful Cal there talking to him, even though she isn't able to hear what Cal is saying._

_Then things shift._

_She sees the young Cal on Yavin 4, the great temple where the academy used to be standing in the background. She can feel the sadness coming off of Cal, as she looks back towards the temple, and then climbs into an E-Wing and launches the craft._

_Then things shift._

_She is watching over Cal's shoulder, as Cal spies on a wedding. As the bride and groom are presented, she can see that the groom is Master Luke, and surprise at that, at the fact that he would marry catches in her throat. Again, she can feel Cal's sadness permeating the Force._

_Then things shift._

_She sees her grandfather, standing proud and tall in front of Master Skywalker. She sees her brother and a girl with yellow eyes standing beside him, all of them talking, welcoming Master Skywalker, and another Jedi, one with red hair who is pregnant. She watches as her mother leads the redhead and Master Clighal off through a door._

_Then things shift_

_She watches someone who she recognizes as Anakin Solo as he dances in and out of battle with dozens of Yuuzhan Vong. A gaping wound to his stomach, he starts to glow with the Force energy he is releasing. She notices him flicker his hand, and sees a thermal detonator roll towards an odd shaped box thing. The explosion rocks the building, and she watches as Anakin falls to the ground unmoving._

_Then things shift._

_She gets flashes of Master Jacen. He is visiting world after world, talking to person after person, learning, growing._

_Then things shift._

_She sees a group of Jedi surrounded by bugs. As one the group looks to the west, as spacecraft come into range, and the Jedi and bugs run that way. There is a flicker, and she then sees Master Luke fighting the burnt man from one of her earlier visions._

_Then things shift._

_She finds herself once more in the green room. This time, she sees that two of the cylinders are full, and they are dragging in a blonde Jedi. Light falls across her face and Jysella can recognize her as Tahiri Viella. For a moment, Jysella wonders about that because Tahiri should still be on Dagobah. The third man then walks up to her and Tahiri's face shows her hate and disgust at the third man, as she spits at him. A wave of amusement flows out from him, as he injects her with something. Then she is stripped and tossed into one of the cylinders. She calmly watches as the cylinder fills up with the blackish-red fluid, her expression one that promises revenge._

_Then things shift._

_She sees herself sitting next to Cal, in a standard meditation pose. She understands what this means, this is the present. She is being shown things in a time frame of how they happened._

_Then things shift._

_Once more she finds herself in the green room. She looks around and notices that six of the seven cylinders have been filled now. Then the two men drag someone into the room. This time the light falls across the woman's face, and Jysella recognizes her own features. She sees the utter depression that is on her face and as the light falls across the man holding her left arm she can understand why._

_The man holding her left arm is her father._


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Ben can smell the ozone from the lightning. Keeping his stare cold and level as he watches Durron, he says, "Fiver, saber. Sannah, take him to the _Scion_, Fiver can get her started, I'll be there momentarily."

There is a whistle from Fiver, and Ben reaches over to take the saber from the hidden compartment. Then the droid turns and rushes away. Absently he notices that Sannah is helping Valin to the _Scion_, but quickly puts such distractions from his mind.

There is a snap-hiss and Kyp's blade ignites. "What is this? You think you can best me?"

Ben smiles and ignites Jysella's saber. "Scared?"

"Hardly."

Then Kyp lunges, increasing his speed with the Force, within seconds he is pushing his saber toward's Ben's stomach. Ben easily parries, and twists away.

Kyp turns to face Ben, and brings his saber down in an overhand attack. Ben catches the blade on his, the strength of the attack almost forcing him to his knees. He tilts his saber, allowing Kyps to slide off to the left, and then flips his blade around in a lateral strike at Kyp's chest.

Kyp jumps, touching the Force to push himself up and over Ben's head. Ben spins around, lowering himself as Kyp slashes diagonally where Ben was standing. As Ben completes his turn, he extends a leg, taking Kyp's feet out from under him.

Straightening, he swings his blade down at where Kyp is lying on the floor. Kyp throws his hand up and with a surge of Force energy tosses Ben across the hanger.

Ben lands with a thud, rolling a few times before coming to a stop. Quickly getting up, he frowns as he can feel the first stirrings of anger.

Then Kyp lands right in front of him, once more pushing his saber towards Ben's stomach. Ben awkwardly twists from the thrust, sending his blade to push Kyp's away. Kyp pulls back, and once more swings downward. Ben throws himself to the left, narrowly being missed by the blade.

Kyp's hand once more waves in an upward motion and Ben can feel himself be lifted up and tossed across the hanger again.

Ben lands atop of the wing of an X-wing, and quickly slides off, as Kyp once more jumps towards him. Ben scampers under the wing, as Kyp once more swings his blade downward, this time catching it on the wing of the starfighter above Ben, showering them both with sparks.

In that split-second of confusion which Kyp feels as the sparks shower around him, Ben launches himself towards him, body checking Kyp, tackling him to the ground. Ben plants his fist into Kyp's side twice in quick succession, and then finds himself once more flying through the air.

Grimacing as he once more rolls to a stop, he can feel the anger building within him. He can hear a whisper in his mind, one that promises a quick solution to this fight, the power to end it, quickly, easily, finally. Ben tries to push the voice from his mind, as Kyp suddenly appears in front of him once again. Kyp's swings his blade in a down to up fashion aimed at bisecting Ben.

Ben steps out of range, and once the blade is lifted up, steps back into range, putting his saber up and connecting with Kyp's, using one hand to hold Kyp overextending this way, he keeps coming into the first ring, and quickly punches Kyp in the stomach.

With a loud 'oaf' Kyp steps back and Ben quickly kicks him in the stomach. Kyp once more waves his hand, propelling Ben across the hanger. Ben lands amidst some barrels causing them to fall down around him with a large crash.

He rolls twice, and gets up, feeling a slight twinge in his right leg. He sets himself for Kyp's next attack, expecting it to come any second. And he is not disappointed as Kyp is once more there in front of him, swinging his saber. Ben is barely able to keep up with him, constantly retreating beneath the onslaught of Kyp's blade.

Ben trips over something, and falls to the floor, his saber skittering underneath an X-Wing. Kyps quickly takes advantage, and swings his saber downwards. Ben rolls, noticing the bright yellow of molten metal where Kyp's blade is embedded in the ground. Ben quickly kicks out, catching Kyp in the face.

As Kyp falls, Ben quickly runs beneath the X-Wing recovering Jysella's saber. He come out the far side of the X-Wing, and Kyp lands immediately in front of him, his saber once more coming in. Ben quickly parries the blade, but Kyp's attack was a feint, as he changes vectors and stabs Ben in the shoulder, pinning him against the X-Wing.

Ben can again hear that dark whisper, asking for the chance to punish his attacker, to make him cry and beg, scream and whimper.

Ben gasps, as Kyp withdraws his saber, and weakly swings his blade at Kyp. Kyp laughs and uses the Force to pick him up and slam him against the X-Wing. Ben falls to the ground, shaking his head to clear the ringing from his ears.

With his good arm, Ben starts to drag himself across the floor away from Kyp, hoping for the impossibility of escape to the _Scion_. Silently he wonders whatever possessed him to once more get involved with Jedi.

Confused, it takes Ben a second to realize that he's being dragged back towards Kyp. Flipping over and lifting his head he can see the Jedi Master standing there, a look of murderous rage painted on his face. Ben can once more hear that insidious whisper in his head, promising a quick victory, promising unlimited power, promising to hurt this whelp who wishes to harm him.

He sees Kyp lift his hand, and Ben can feel himself being lifted up, and then there is a pressure against his throat, cutting off his air supply. Ben kicks his feet, and clutches his throat, then realizes that Kyp's attack comes through the Force, and he cannot affect it physically.

He feels a quick flash of deep hatred at the Force for involving him in this. For putting those promptings into this head which inexorably lead him here, to this point in time.

As his vision starts to go black, Ben can feel an explosion in his consciousness and then an overwhelming sense of relief and release as the world goes dark.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29 **

Valin can hear the voice. One that has plagued him for years, ever since he first heard those angry mocking tones directed towards his father.

Valin is a good Jedi; he is almost always in control. If it could be truly said that he has a weakness, a single point of contention in which he loses his control it would be his family. He is fiercely loyal and protective of his family.

It is his number one failing as a Jedi.

And Kyp has never been the favorite Jedi of the Horn family.

Valin can feel that cold seed of anger and hate as he hears Kyp speaking. "Stop. You are not going anywhere."

Finally happy to have a reason to unleash himself against Kyp, he pushes past Ben, drawing and igniting his saber in one clean, clear move. To his own surprise, the words fall off his tongue smoothly and without hesitation. "You're not stopping us Durron."

He can feel Kyp pulling the Force to him, knows what is coming next, but is still unable to get his saber up in time to block the blast of lightning that strikes him in the chest.

He screams and flies through the air, landing a few meters away from where he started.

The next thing he knows is the cool touch of Sannah's hand as she is mumbling soothing sounds, and using her hands and the Force to ensure he is okay.

She helps him stand, slipping his arm around her, as she supports his weight. The R2 unit rushes past them and quickly boards the smuggler's ship. He quickly casts a glance towards the smuggler, and sees him igniting Jysella's saber as Kyp rushes him. To his surprise, the smuggler does not end up impaled on Kyp's blade.

Finally they are boarding the ship, and Sannah directs him to the common area, placing him on the couch. He smiles as she kisses his forehead, and rushes off down the corridor towards the cockpit.

Leaning back, he closes his eyes, evens out his breathing, and tries to drop into a healing trance.

_He opens his eyes onto the bridge of a star destroyer. He sees his parents talking to its captain, arguing with him. The man is around 1.8 meters tall, with grey hair and a pronounced widow's peak. Valin walks closer just in time to her his mother say, "This is how it is going to be, stay away from us, for your own sake."_

_He can feel the anger, hate and disgust that rolls of the man, most of it directed at his father, and he can feel the strong underlying bitterness and disappointment directed at his mother. He notices the man fingering his blaster, and Valin reaches down for his saber. Not finding it he looks down and notices for the first time that he is lacking a body._

_He realizes this is a Force vision, and once more focuses on the group in front of him as the man says, "If they come to me here, I will not hide from them, nor deny them. They are my grandchildren."_

_Corran answers in reply. "Don't worry, they won't come to you."_

_"Listen CorSec. Right now, I don't care that you are my daughter's husband, I suggest you get your sorry carcass off of my ship before I shoot you for the sheer kriffing enjoyment of it."_

_This is when Valin gets a surprise. In his forty-eight years, he has rarely seen his father do something in fear. Yet his dad's response to this threat is a look of fear crossing his face, quickly followed by his father turning around and walking from the bridge._

_Valin frowns at his dad's back, but quickly focuses on his mother and the continuing conversation. "How Mirax? How could you do this? These are my grandchildren! Why in the name of the Force would you go along with this?"_

_He notices the way that the man stands as he is yelling at Valin's mother, recognizing it from somewhere, and as the man puts his hand on his head, Valin realizes where he has seen it before; it is the pose and actions that his mom took, takes, when lecturing him or his sister._

_"What am I supposed to do Dad? Tear apart my family? Leave Valin and Jysella alone and without a mother? They're Jedi, and sometimes sacrifices just have to be made."_

_With a start, he realizes that this man is his grandfather._

_He watches as his grandfather shakes his head. "Your mother would be quite disappointed in you Mirax."_

_Mirax takes a step back as if physically struck, and then Valin can see the anger flash in his mom's eyes as she pulls back her hand and slaps the man across the face. The man doesn't flinch or twist his head, he merely accepts the blow._

_The man's stare is cold and hard. "You hit me because you know, deep down that I'm right. Now get off my ship, as long as the two of you are acting like this, keeping my grandchildren from me, I have no daughter."_

_With that said, he turns from Mirax, and stares out the window. Though his face is cold and hard, Valin can feel the anguish and sorrow that rolls off of him. Valin watches his mother as she stares at the man's back a look of sorrow on her face; then she turns and strides from the bridge._

_As the turbolift doors close with a swishing sound, the man spins around and walks to the rear bulkhead, and slams his fist against it, leaving a shallow impression of his fist on the wall._

_Valin watches as a twi'lek walks up to the man. "Did that make you feel better or just break your hand?"_

_The man starts walking back towards the captain's station and picks up a datapad, before turning back to the twi'lek. "I can't believe that that Corsec Jedi would do such things! What right does he have to tell me that I can no longer see them?"_

_The twi'lek's red eyes watch the floor. "I know, it does not seem like the Corran I remember, but the wars have changed us all."_

_"I should have never trusted that Jedi. I should have shot him when I had the chance on Tatooine."_

_The twi'lek does not answer, just grimaces slightly and rubs his arms as a shudder runs down his lekku._

_"I just can't believe that Mirax went along with it, my own daughter, choosing to keep Valin and Jysella away from me." Suddenly the man flings the datapad across the room, where it hits a console and shatters. "I can't believe she would do that, I can't believe she went along with it!"_

With a start, Valin awakens from his trance.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 

Sannah staggers slightly under Valin's weight. Touching the Force, she is able to fully lift him, and help him onto Ben's ship.

She lays him out on the couch in the common area, and kisses his forehead, and then takes off for the cockpit. Wondering what on earth possessed Valin to attack Kyp like that.

Pushing that distracting thought from his head, she slides into the pilot's station and begins preparing the ship for launch. She turns her head towards the R2 unit and notices that it has already plugged itself into the computer and she can hear the engines gaining power.

She notices a flash of movement outside the cockpit and sees Ben land amidst a number of barrels. Her hand unconsciously goes to her mouth as she watches Kyp appear in front of Ben, his saber swinging in fast, hard attacks. She notices Ben retreating and then sees him fall to the ground, rolling away as Kyp slices into the deck.

Standing she starts heading from the cockpit. An urgent whistle from the droid attracts her attention, "We're not leaving without Ben, so I'm going out there."

The droid emits a mournful tone, and then turns its sensor away from her, so she rushes out of the ship, and turns to find Ben and Kyp. She can see the gash in the floor, but not them, and then she sees them, Kyp standing there, holding his arm out, Ben held in the air, limp and motionless.

She starts to reach for her saber.

Then a wave of Force energy unlike anything she has felt before comes rolling from them. It hits her, and she flies backwards a meter and a half. Lifting her head, she sees Kyp impaled upon the laser canon on a nearby X-Wing, and Ben slumped in a pile on the ground.

She stands up, and rushes to his side. He weakly raises his head and looks at her, and then around the damaged hangar bay. "What happened?"

"You would have to tell me."

She notices his grimace of pain as he tries to stand, and quickly slides under him to help. He mumbles a quick thanks to her and they go to the Scion as quickly as he is able.

As she is dressing his wounds, he leans his head back and closes his eyes. Then from behind them, she can hear a voice. "You did well out there Ben."

Turning she sees a Force Ghost, standing there, someone she has never seen before, though he is handsome and reminds her slightly of holos of Master Luke when he was younger.

Interested she asks, "Who are you?"

The Ghost smiles at her, "I am Anakin."

Ben utters a short laugh. "Tell her who you really are Anakin; tell her how you're the one that destroyed the Jedi."

She focuses her attention on Ben. "This Anakin is your grandfather and that is how you talk to him?"

Ben looks at her, his grey eyes hard. "He is dead, and just comes to visit to torture me about the Force."

"Just because he is dead, is no reason to be rude to him."

Ben just harrumphs

She looks around and notices that the ghost is gone. Then she continues dressing Ben's wounds. As she works, she asks a question that has been bothering her. "Why do you hide from the Force Ben?"

"I," Ben hesitates here, not entirely certain on how to go on, then deciding upon a course, continues talking. "I am not really sure; it's just that the Force has always been so dark for me. When I was little, every time I touched it, I just felt this overwhelming darkness. I guess initially I was just scared."

"And now?"

"Well now, I've seen how the Force has treated my family, the pain, misery, death. All of it due to the Force."

Sannah frowns as she mulls over his words, wondering how much truth there is in them. Finally she manages a small smile. "I guess I can understand that, but I must ask, is your life free of pain, misery and death because you are not using the Force?"

She watches as Ben opens and closes his mouth a few times. "And what would you suggest? That I become a Jedi? One of those happy warriors of the Alliance? Especially considering that most of the ones I've dealt with recently can't seem to remember their closest friends and family?"

She falls silent at his outburst, and begins putting away the medicines. After a few moments, she can feel Ben touch her shoulder gently. She looks at him, and sees sorrow in his grey eyes. "I'm sorry Sannah that was uncalled for. But I was wondering, why do you remember me?"

She can feel the prick of the old pain, and wonders if it will ever go away. "The only answer that we can come up with is that I was forgotten, slipped through the cracks by whatever it is that did this to Valin."

She notices Ben's thoughtful look as he stares at the ceiling. "Ben?"

"Hmm?"

"You do know that you can be a Force user without being a Jedi. Acknowledging and accepting the Force, is not the same thing as becoming a Jedi."

She is scared by the look he turns her way at this suggestion. "My Dad would disagree with you on that point."


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Jysella opens her eyes, and finds herself looking into Cal's stormy grey ones.

"What did you see child?"

"I saw." Jysella closes her eyes, hiding the pain she feels. "I saw my dad. He, he was doing something. Something horrible."

"What?"

"That I'm not entirely sure of." She instinctively rubs her shoulders and arms as her body shivers from the chill she is feeling, even in the warm hold of the ship.

"The green room?"

Jysella winces as an image of her being pushed into one of the strange capsules flashes through her mind, the feelings of pain and betrayal stab into her heart. Nodding she mumbles "Yes."

"What can you remember of the room?"

Jysella frowns. "I don't WANT to remember the room."

Cal's voice turns stern and harsh. "That doesn't matter. You are a Jedi, what you want is immaterial."

Without thinking, Jysella punches Cal in the face, bloodying her nose. "What I want is not immaterial. Jedi or not, I am human with a human's wants and desires."

Getting up and retrieving a napkin to press against her nose, Cal calls out over her shoulder, "If your want and desires are important then why is love and attachments so bad?"

"They're bad because they lead to greed; you start wanting more and more until you can no longer stop."

"And what is wrong with greed?"

"It controls you, makes you do things to get what you want."

Cal walks back to her, still dabbing her nose. "So does the Force."

Jysella opens her mouth, and then snaps it shut, thinking hard. "So what is your view on attachments?"

Cal smile is visible around the napkin. "I think that you are human, and will form attachments regardless of who or what says they are good or bad. It is your attachments to others which allow you to grow, to become a better person. Think about this, it is Tycho's and Winter's attachment to you, regardless of the fact that you don't remember them and all the things they did for you throughout your life, which drives them to escort you to the _Venture_, on the drop of a hat like this. So you tell me, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Jysella rocks back where she is sitting, having never even considering that. When she issued the orders to be taken to the _Errant Venture_, she had considered herself speaking as a Jedi, and as such was used to having her orders listened to. "I think it is both. It's good that they are willing to sacrifice of themselves like that to help me, but bad because they place so much power into my hands through that sacrifice."

Cal reaches out and grasps her shoulder, lowering the napkin from her nose, a smile gracing her face. "And you are now beginning to once more understand what it means to be human."

"I, I don't understand?"

"Your training at the Jedi Academy taught you certain things, things like: you should always be calm, you should not have attachments, and that you should put what the Jedi Council says above all other things, correct?"

Jysella hesitantly nods her head. "Right."

"That training is required because it goes against all sentient species natural inclinations. We are all greedy selfish beings, and it is the civilization provided by whoever raised us, which shapes those primal urges into shapes and forms useful to society. Yet in the case of the Jedi, it trains you to be automatons, emotionless drones at the beck and call of the Jedi Council."

"But." Jysella closes her mouth, thinking of how she wishes to reply. "But we're not emotionless drones, we're taught to calm our emotions and to not let them control us."

Cal's smile turns sly. "Is there a difference?"

"Yes!"

"Then why would you let your fear of the green room keep you from telling me more about it?"

Jysella looks down at the floor, at a loss for how she ended up defending the position Cal took which caused her to punch the older woman in the face. Looking up at the older woman, Jysella once more feels at a loss for words. "What's wrong with me?"

Cal smiles down at her, once more appearing as a kindly old woman, almost grandmotherly. "Nothing at all is wrong with you. It is the training that you have suffered under which is at fault."

"And what is wrong with the training?"

"Everything and nothing." Holding her arms out to either side of her, and looking back and forth she continues speaking, "Look around you, you are on this ship speeding through space to another ship, all because of attachments. I tell you this, attachments and love, are good and essential things for everyone. And at one time, even your Grand Master knew this universal truth."

"But what of the Dark?"

Lowering her hands, Cal's face once more becomes serious and somber. "The Dark Side waits in everything. If we are not careful, love turns to jealousy, attachment to greed, anger to rage, and compassion to uncaring. Through the good things in life, you can be hurt and you can and will be given the desire to hurt others, but ultimately it boils down to the choices you make. Embrace the attachments, embrace the love, knowing full well that it may cause you pain and heartache, but do so full in the knowledge that if you fall to the Dark Side, that it was not the attachments that caused it, but you not being strong enough to know when to let go."

Standing she begins to walk from the room, stopping in the doorway she looks back at Jysella. "Just remember, there is a Dark Side and it whispers to us all, and will turn anything that is good and helpful to harm if you allow it too, if you allow it to gain a foothold within you. That is the simple truth which those on the Council have forgotten."

The turning, she leaves the room, leaving Jysella sitting in the middle of the floor lost in her thoughts.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32 **

Ben smiles as the swirls of hyperspace shift away, revealing a glorious expanse of stars. Adrift amidst them is a star destroyer, painted red with some rather unique modifications attached to her hull.

Hearing a soft sound behind him, he looks over his shoulder and sees Valin standing there, noting Valin's blank expression; Ben turns his attention back to piloting the ship. He quickly gets permission to land, and swings up underneath the _Venture_, slowly entering her hangers.

Glancing at the various ships that are sitting here, he notices a new ship enter the hanger, recognizing the _Winter Belle_ and smiles. He glances once more back towards Valin. "You got family on board Valin."

"My sister is here?"

Ben points to the _baudo_-class yacht that has come to a rest to the starboard of the _Scion_. "That's the ship of the folks I left her with, so I'd have to say yes."

As the ship settles down, Ben and the others quickly debark and are soon standing in the hanger. A ramp on the Belle lowers and Jysella comes running towards them, a smile on her face. She quickly gives Valin a hug, and Ben can tell that they are both happy to be reunited.

From behind him Ben can hear a gruff bass voice. "Can I get an explanation Skywalker?"

Ben slowly turns to look at Booster, noticing that even though he's well over one hundred years old, he still looks fit and in fighting shape. "You know I don't go by that name."

Ben smirks as Booster's scowl deepens. "That don't matter none, why don't my grandkids remember me?"

Ben focuses on Sannah, noticing the confused look on her face as she pointedly watches Jyeslla, before once more speaking to Booster. "There's a lot they don't remember, Shelter, the Celchus, me, you, and who knows what else."

The three Jedi start walking towards them, and Ben can see a flicker of recognition cross Jysella's face as her gaze falls on Booster. Ben points towards Booster. "Jysella, have you seen him before?"

She shakes her head. "No, yes. It was in a vision. He was fighting with mom and dad over something. And then Tycho and Winter showed me some holos of him."

Ben looks towards the floor, wondering how to proceed, finally deciding that blunt truthfulness would be the easiest solution he focuses first on Valin and then Jysella. "Valin, Jysella, I would like you to meet Booster Terrik, your grandfather."

Ben notices an elderly lady, walk around from behind Booster. He nods his head to her. "Hello Cal. Productive trip?"

Cal smiles at him. "Quite productive, quite. You really should ask Jysella about it."

Then turning she walks away, humming a strange tune to herself. Ben watches for a moment, and then goes over to Jysella, and waits for a pause in their conversation.

"What happened on the trip Jysella?"

She looks at Ben, and bites her bottom lip. Ben just stands there watching her, wondering if she would answer. Finally she lowers her head slightly. "I had a vision, a horrible one."

She quickly tells everyone of the vision, as she finishes, Ben notices both Valin and Sannah pale slightly at the mention of the green room. But before he can ask them about it, he can hear Booster's voice, as a deep dangerous growl. "I'm going to kill him. I knew I should have killed that CorSec scum the first time he touched my daughter."

Ben looks towards Booster. "Calm down Booster, that's not going to help anything."

"Oh yes it is Skywalker." As Booster says his family name, he cringes slightly as he hears Jysella gasp, and can feel the stares of the Jedi behind him. Booster is either oblivious to their reactions or just does not care, and Ben silently bets that it is the later. "We're going to go to Ossus, and I'm going to kill him, and when we figure out who else was in that vision, I'm going to kill them too."

Ben frowns up at the older man. "Is there any way I can talk you out of this?"

Booster glares down at him. "Only if you want me to pound on you instead, Skywalker."

Finally Ben nods his head in acceptance, and turns away from Booster and finds himself being stared at by Jysella. A hurt, angry look is on her face, causing Ben's spirits to sink. A quick glance at the other two Jedi and Ben realizes that they are talking together in quiet tones, with quick hand motions. As he returns his focus to Jysella he puts the thoughts about what the other two are discussing from his mind.

Before he can open his mouth, she speaks up. "You're a Skywalker? You're the Master's son aren't you?"

Ben silently nods his head. "Who was your mother?"

The question throws Ben for a loop, and a slight scowl crosses his features. "My mother is Jedi Master Mara Jade Skywalker."

Jysella shakes her head. "I don't know anyone by that name." Then she cocks her head to the side, thinking about something. After a moment, her attention returns to him. "Is she a red-head?"

Ben mutely nods, still wondering what has happened to his mother, that this Jedi does not know her.

"I think I've seen her in a vision then."

Ben nods his head slightly clearly interested, as Booster's voice comes from behind him. "I'm sure this is interesting Jedi stuff, but I would like to spend some time getting to know my granddaughter again."

Startled, Ben turns back to Booster. "I'm sorry Booster, I was distracted, of course, don't let me monopolize Jysella's attention." He flashes her a smile, and is thrilled by the smirk she returns to him.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

Valin slowly leaves the quarters that he was assigned, and begins walking the darkened corridors of the large ship that he's currently on. He thinks back to this afternoon, and the dinner with the man claiming to be his grandfather.

The man with the pictorial and genetic evidence to back it up.

The man that Sannah claims is his grandfather as well.

He sighs at the thought of Sannah, not sure exactly where he stands with her, not entirely certain how everything around him is going to play out. He heard Booster give a command for best possible speed to Ossus, so he knows that the _Errant Venture_ is heading towards the Jedi, but he still has that sinking, shaking feeling that the closer to Ossus they get, the less a part of the Jedi they actually are.

"Troubles youngling?"

Startled, he jumps and pulls his lightsaber, turning on the person who spoke from behind him. There he sees an elderly woman, one who appears in her mid eighties. She is calmly smiling at him, ignoring his threatening posture as he stands in an attack stance with his unlighted lightsaber raised high.

He lowers his blade. "Who are you?"

"I'm Cal, a friend of Ben's and your sister. Who are you?"

"Sounds like you know who I am already."

Cal shakes her head. "Not really, I know who I think you are, but I do not know who you are."

Valin frowns at her. "Is this some type of game?"

Her laughter is loud and clear. "All life is a game youngling. We are merely pawns moved about by the whims of others and the Force."

"I'm not a pawn."

"Oh?"

"No, I'm not. I'm a Jedi, and I am nobody's pawn."

Cal quirks an eyebrow at him, the smile never leaving her face. "Then why can you not remember so many important things of your life. Why did your very own grandfather, whom you have met many, many times need to be introduced to you?"

Valin frowns, not truly having an answer. "I am not a pawn."

Cal leans up against the wall, resting there. "Of course not youngling, after all, what is a pawn but the least piece of someone else's game. You play by no other rules than those handed down by the Jedi Council." Then her eyes shift, and her smile turns sly. "And as a non-pawn, you would never break the Council's rules. Never risk expulsion from that esteemed order of spoon-benders for something as paltry as love."

Valin grabs her by the collar of her tunic, and slams her hard against the wall of the corridor, gritting his teeth. "You don't know me; you don't know the Jedi; why are you talking about things you don't understand?"

Call looks at him with her still grey eyes, and her calm smile. "I know a great many things youngling, the least of them is the ways of the Force."

Valin lets go of her tunic and drops his hand away. "You're no more a Force Sensitive than that smuggler is. I don't care that you people are all claiming he's Master Skywalker's lost son, especially when the Master doesn't even have a wife." He turns away from her. "You can probe him with the Force and he barely registers in it if at all. And the same applies to you."

Cal laughs at him. "Oh how little you truly understand, and how less you know. I learned from observing Ben how to shield myself this way, it took me years. He does it instinctively."

Valin turns back, and Cal's smile turns sly once more. "Here see." Then she drops her shields, revealing her controlled presence in the Force, a well-spring of power, where moments ago a mere wake existed. Then as if she had flicked a switch the well-spring fades, and Cal is once more a small ripple in the Force.

Valin looks at her with his eyes again, and sees the calm grey eyes and the light smile.

"Remember youngling, there are still a number of things here that you do not know." Cal pauses for a moment and presses her hand against her head. "And a number of things are going on here that even I do not know."

Suddenly she looks up at him. "Tell me, do you know anything about the green room?"

Valin can feel an instinctive fear in his heart, one that stems directly from the vision he had received of the room she is talking about. "I've had a couple of visions about the green room."

Cal silently strokes her chin for a moment, and then abruptly nods her head and walks away down the corridor. Valin frowns watching as she hobbles away, not entirely sure what to make of her. Looking around the corridors he is in, he tries to figure out where he is.

Then he figures it out, this is the hall where Sannah was billeted. For a second he wonders why he would come here during his aimless wondering, and then he decides it does not matter.

Walking down the corridor a few more steps he stops as he recognizes Sannah's room. Taking a deep breath he can almost smell that clean, watery fragrance that she seems to always have around her.

Stepping closer to the door, he raps on it once, not entirely certain what he's doing. He can hear her shuffling around in the room, and as he looks at his palms, realizes that he's nervous. He quickly wipes his palms on his robes as Sannah's door opens wide.

Valin's eyes open slightly wider, as she is dressed in a short, low-cut nightgown. He watches as the shimmersilk it is made from glitters in the light as it clings to her curves. Looking up from her outfit, he gets captured in her eyes.

He can hear her voice, as if it's coming from somewhere else. "Hello Valin, can I help you?"

Not trusting himself to speak, he just mutely nods his head and steps closer to her, inhaling that clean, watery scent that he relates to her once more. Then he leans his head down and kisses her. Startled she steps back into the room, and he follows, claiming her lips once again as the door behind them closes.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Sannah calmly sits on the floor of her cabin, eyes closed; a look of peace stilling her features as she meditates. She delves into the Force, trying to find answers, or even a hint to the questions that plague her.

As she swims through the Force, she can feel something pulling her back to her body, telling her that it is time to return to her corporal shell.

As she opens her eyes, she finds herself staring into the Anakin's blue-grey ones. She smiles at him, and he gives her a lop-sided grin. "Anakin!"

"Hello Sannah."

Sannah quirks her head slightly as she watches Anakin. "Are you here to guide me?"

Anakin nods his head. "I'm here to teach you how to become small."

"I don't understand."

"That's all right and it doesn't matter. I want you to try to compress your entire Force presence, your entire consciousness into as small a size as you possibly can."

Sannah mutely nods her head, and begins the process of folding her consciousness into itself. After an hour of practice, she finally manages to make her consciousness small enough to satisfy Anakin. He smiles happily at her. "You have done well, but I want you to continue practicing, trying to make yourself smaller. When you get small enough, you'll be able to control things on a molecular level."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

Anakin just smiles. "Remember the Dark Side, fear, aggression, anger. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

Sannah begins to get frustrated at him. "Are you going to answer my question?"

"I did. I wish I was there to help you in all of this, in everything, but I am not permitted to interfere only to guide."

"Who doesn't permit you to interfere?"

"Asla, but that's a topic for another day." Anakin sighs for a moment, and then glances around the room. "After I tell you this, I will not be allowed to see you again, but I need you to go see Cilghal on Dac."

"But we're going to Ossus."

A look of horror crosses Anakin's face. "Things have progressed much too fast. You need to go to Dac and talk to Cilghal."

Sannah looks at him, confusion evident on her face. "I'll tell Booster."

A sad look crosses Anakin's face. "My time here is done, may the Force be with you, Sannah."

Then Anakin vanishes, leaving Sannah staring at the blank wall, as a tear slips down her face. "I'll miss you Anakin."

As she wipes away the tear, she settles in to once more begin her meditations, focusing her breathing and trying to become small. A single harsh rap at the door causes her concentration to falter, and she stands up. Stretching out with the Force, she feels Valin standing out there. Smiling hesitantly, she opens the door.

She watches as Valin's eyes flicker over her body, and she is suddenly self-conscious about the night gown she is wearing. His eyes finally settle on her face, and she smiles for him. "Hello Valin, can I help you?"

Then to her surprise, he nods an affirmative and then steps forward, closer to her and kisses her. Unsure of what is happening, she takes a step back, opening up room between them. As she looks at him, she is startled by the sudden aggressiveness of his actions, as he closes the distance between them, wrapping her in his arms, and is once more kissing her.

She feels his hands sliding down her body, and then back up underneath her gown, pushing it up. She shivers as his thumbs trace down the sides of her stomach, and slip under the band of her undergarments. As he breaks away from her lips to kiss her neck, she is surprised by how throaty and breathless she sounds. "Valin, stop."

He hesitates in his actions, and looks at her. She is surprised and scared by the lust she sees in his eyes. She takes a step away from him, as he closes his eyes and breathes deeply. Opening them he looks at her once again. "I'm sorry about that Sannah, I'll go now."

Then before she gets to answer, he turns around and flees the room. Sannah watches the closed door, before dropping to her knees and crying. Wondering to herself, just why life has to be so complicated and confusing.

Still, sniffling, she slips into a set of Jedi robes and heads towards Ben's room. She knocks on the door. After a few moments, his door slides open, and she smiles up at him.

"We need to go to Dac."

Ben rubs his face, and then looks behind him to the chrono by the bed. After a second, he returns his attention to Sannah. "What?"

"Dac. We need to go to Dac and see Master Cilghal."

Sannah lets out a low growl of frustration as Ben speaks again. "I don't understand. What's on Dac?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but Anakin came to see me, and told me that I need to go there and talk to Cilghal."

"This is one of those annoying Jedi things isn't it?"

Sannah allows a smile to creep to her lips as she nods her head. Ben watches her for a second more, and then walks to the comm, and pushes in a code to get in touch with Booster.

"You had best have a good reason for waking me."

"Booster, I need us to drop out of hyperspace. Sannah and I need to go to Dac before we head to Ossus."

"What?"

"Apparently, it's a Jedi thing."

Sannnah can feel a blush start to creep up her fingers at the stream of curses that Booster lets out. Smiling once more at Ben, she slips back into the hallway, and starts walking back to her room.

She suddenly pauses and looks at the door she is standing in front of, an odd feeling in her chest. Without thinking, she walks over and knocks on the door. Valin opens it, and is standing there a sad look on his face. Without waiting for him to speak, she jumps up at him and wraps her arms around him, pushing him back into the room to allow the door to close.

As the door slides shut, she is kissing him.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 **

The thrum of the lightsaber blade fills her soul, as she faces off against the three proto-vong droids. She is not sure who built or designed them, but they move eerily similar to the way the Yuuzhan Vong move and fight, even down to their simulation amphistaffs having a spitting action. She grimaces as she remembers the stinging sensation caused by that brownish liquid touching her skin.

Currently, she is facing off against two of the machines, each of them lightly twirling their amphistaffs in a rigid form. She is in a low crouch, ready to spring in either direction.

This she likes, just the simple act of movement, the beautiful orchestra of a fight. It calls to something deep within her, some part of her that is innately her mother's child.

Slash. Parry. Duck. Attack.

Simplicity in motion, complexity in design.

Just the simple exercise gives her a focus for her thoughts, her feelings. She wonders just what has happened, what has fallen upon the Jedi to cause this.

Stab. Feint. Roll. Slash.

A shudder, just barely above the threshold of perception rolls through the training room, and Jysella looks around. She turns her attention away from the droids for a second, and they take that second's distraction as the opportunity to attack. They come in fast and hard, and Jysella dives and rolls away; putting some space between herself and the droids.

Yet as she rolls, one of the droids flicks out its amphistaff in whip form, wrapping around her leg, pulling her roll to a sudden stop. The other droid, steps forward in an eyeblink, its staff rigid, and flying downward towards her. She cringes, knowing the blow, while not fatal, will sting and burn.

Then a flash of red flickers over her head striking the droid in the chest, and exploding in a shower of sparks. She twists her head, to keep any of the bits of droid from striking her eyes, and then looks up to see Ben standing there, a blaster in his hand, concern flashing in his eyes.

"Stop." She twists around, and gets to her feet. "I could have handled it."

He gives her one of those irritating smirks he seems to have perfected. "I know, but I couldn't just let it hit you."

"Why not?"

She can feel her anger build as he once more turns that smirk on her and shrugs his shoulders. "We're taking a slight detour to Dac. Sannah had a vision; we need to go see Cilghal. Tycho told me how…upset you were when I left you on Shelter, so I thought I would offer you the chance to come with me this time."

She glances away from his bright blue eyes, and looks into a corner of the room. "I don't know. How can I trust you?"

He laughs aloud at that. "What makes you think you can?"

She presses down her feelings, trying to suppress the anger, frustration as well as the warm thoughts she keeps having about him. Then she shakes her head. "I might as well, if I don't you'll probably just kidnap me again."

He raises an eyebrow. "I thought you said that you were my guest, and not a prisoner or kidnap victim."

"I'm a woman, I can change my mind." She smiles at his laughter, and then walks over to pick up her towel. She allows the smile to slip from her face as she turns back to him. "So are you going to ask me to get something to eat with you, or are we going to just stand around looking at one another all day?"

She allows a smirk to come to her lips, as for once, she watches the one on his die. After a second, he regains his composure. "So, Jedi Horn, would you be willing to accompany me to the mess?"

Shrugging into her robes, she slips her arm around his. "I thought you would never ask."

They walk arm-in-arm until they reach the mess, which held only a few of the night shift workers. Jysella slips away and sits down at one of the table, and smiles up at Ben. "You'll get me something right?"

"Why me?"

She lets her smile grow a bit wider. "Because you asked me to dinner."

She watches as Ben considers the request, and then shaking his head he walks away towards the food service line. He returns a few minutes later carrying two trays, and sets one down in front of her, and then slides into the seat next to hers.

After she finishes eating, she looks at Ben once more. "Tycho told me a lot of things, and I have learned more since I arrived here. But what I don't understand is you. Everyone says that you're Master Skywalker's son."

Ben sighs heavily, and looks up at her. "Yes, I am Ben Skywalker, born here on the _Venture_, raised and trained at Ossus until a few years after the Swam War. At which time I appeared to disappear from the Force and the face of the galaxy. Along with Fiver who I," Ben pauses here, considering his next word, "appropriated from the Jedi, I became Ben Whitesun, a smuggler from Tatooine."

"So you knew who I was the entire time?"

He shakes his head. "Not the entire time. After you introduced yourself, I remembered you." She watches as he glances away, a red tint slightly shading his cheeks. "Actually, I remembered having a crush on you during that training. A big one."

A mischievous light appears in her eyes. "Aha! So the real reason you kidnapped me has became clear."

A somber look appears in his eyes. "I just wish it was clear to me."

Jysella tilts her head, looking at Ben, trying to figure out what he means. After a second, his eyes lose that faraway glaze, and focus on her again. "I don't know Jys; the Force is trying to get me to do things. It wants me to take up a mantel that I don't want. And it is not going to take no for an answer."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Ben stands at the foot of the ramp, watching the Jedi walk towards his ship. He frowns in concentration, as he considers just what he is doing. Contrary to what he wanted, what he desired for his life, here he is, running from one end of the galaxy to the other at the whims of the Force.

Or is it because of her.

He shakes his head, and turns away to see Booster standing there. "You better take care of my granddaughter Skywalker. I just got her back; I'd hate to kill you if you lost her."

"How often do I have to tell you to not call me Skywalker?"

Booster rests his hand on Ben's shoulder. "Skywalker is a proud name, Ben. It did a lot of good and bad for this galaxy. Its part of who you are; and you should never run from who you are." Booster glances towards the Jedi, and Ben follows his gaze to look at Booster's grandchildren. "After all, there are some out there who had part of who they are taken from them."

As Ben thinks about that, Booster walks away and talks briefly with his grandchildren and Sannah. Ben silently considers what Booster had said. Glancing up, he sees the three Jedi there, and smiles at them. "We ready to go to Dac?"

Sannah steps up beside him, and takes his hand. "Thank you for trusting me in this Ben."

Ben silently nods his head, and Sannah dropping his hand, walks past him and boards the ship. He turns towards Jysella and Valin. "You two coming?"

Jysella glances at Valin for a second, and then grabbing his hand, quickly starts to board the ship. She spares a quick glance and smile for Ben. "Of course."

After they board, Ben quickly does a visual inspection of the exterior of the _Scion_. When he returns to the boarding ramp, he looks around once more, and then starts up, stopping when a familiar voice calls out to him.

"I'm coming with you."

Sighing, Ben looks over his shoulder and sees Cal walking towards him. "You sure about this Cal?"

Cal nods her head once. "I feel that I will be needed."

He frowns, hating all the mysticism that seems to surround the Jedi. "Fine, come on."

An hour later, Ben finds himself alone on the bridge, the swirls of hyperspace soothing to his troubled mind. There is a soft click behind him, and he looks over his shoulder and sees Jysella there, standing at the now shut door. As he watches, her hand engages the lock.

Smiling, he turns his seat around to face her. "Can I help you Jysella?"

"I wanted to talk to you some more about what you said earlier."

Ben raises an eyebrow. "What was that exactly?"

"The Force. You think it's trying to get you to do something."

Ben sighs and turns his seat enough so that he can see out the viewport. "I don't know, it all is so confusing"

"Maybe if you meditated it would become clear."

Ben rubs his face with his hands, trying to decide. "I didn't want to be involved with the Force again. I wanted to be rid of this curse."

"It doesn't have to be a curse you know? It can be something good and wonderful."

Ben tilts his head. "And exactly how can it be those things?"

Jysella smiles slightly. "Open yourself to the Force, and lower your shields."

Ben hesitates, and then does as he is asked. Closing his eyes, he opens himself to the very wellspring of existence, the sum of all life. Its warm embrace welcomes him, and he can see existence in the bright swatches of colors that he has always associated with sensing things through the Force.

He opens his eyes, and sees Jysella inches from his face, her presence a warm, golden color in the Force.

Then she kisses him.

He can feel the pressure she is applying to his lips, can taste her lips as her tongue slips into his mouth. Physically, what he feels nearly overwhelms him. Emotionally, he feels that old crush he had on her blossom, mingled with the physical desire he feels for the adult Jysella. Physically and emotionally, she is amazing and calls to him on both of those levels.

Yet what he feels outside of the Force is just a pale comparison of what he feels in the Force.

In the Force she has opened herself to him, and her presence is warm and inviting. It is the warmth of the summer sun on Corellia. It is the cool taste of water while in the deep desert of Tatooine. It is the tart nectar of a sunfruit. It is the smell of salt water in the wind on a Mon Calamari beach.

It is all these things and more.

It is everything he has never seen in the Force, and more.

She pulls away, and Ben gasps for breath. Shutting down in the Force, he turns away from her, unable to keep the emotions from his face.

"So, did that feel like a curse?"

Slowly Ben shakes his head. "No. Not a curse." He sighs, weary of running from his birthright. "Definitely not a curse."

She spins him back around facing her, and smiles at him. He almost opens himself to the Force again, the desire to experience that nearly overwhelming. She comes closer to him. "Good, because I want to do it again."

Then she leans in, and kisses him again, as he takes her hand, and pulls her to his lap, reveling in the sensations and feelings she invokes in him.

He can feel the ripples that his plunging into the Force causes.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Valin sits on the couch, his feet up on the table in front of him. He frowns slightly as his sister walks from her cabin to the cockpit, and shuts the door. When he starts to get up, Cal appears before him.

"Hello young Jedi."

Valin frowns at her. "Cal, right?"

"That's right."

Valin gives a quick glance to the cockpit door, before settling back into his seat. "What can I do for you Cal?"

A smile flickers on the old woman's face. "I just wonder if you are prepared for what the Force holds in store for us."

"I am a Jedi. The Force is my ally, and as such I am prepared for anything."

Cal lifts an eyebrow slightly. "How could you hope to know what we are about to face? How could you hope; when you have never walked in the dark places of the galaxy? I have traveled from one side of this galaxy to the other, visited the darkest parts of the galaxy." She pauses and a faraway look flickers into her eyes. After a moment she focuses once more onto Valin. "I've been to the shadows, to the places where the Dark Side is so strong one can feel it crawling on the skin, and I don't feel that I'm ready."

Valin straightens, interested in what the old woman is saying. "And what do you think is coming?"

She spreads her hands. "What is always coming? Pain, suffering, death, misery. The children of war these things are, and though we may not meet those we go to face on a field of battle with thousands of soldiers, have no doubt that we are marching steadfastly to war."

Valin can feel a frown cross his features. "Do you have a point?"

"Just this; beware the Dark Side. Anger, hate, fear, rage; they are powerful and seductive emotions, and can give you power while you fight and while you meditate. Yet that power is tainted and corrupting. The more you draw on it, the more you want to. The more you draw on it, the less you care about what you do with it."

Valin frowns, shoving the memory of his vision from his mind. "You're talking as if the Dark Side has a will of its own."

"All of you silly younglings, you all assume that the Dark Side is something that is entirely internal to yourself. That it is impossible for it to have an external component that actively tries to taint you, to draw you down that dark path. Have you never heard it whisper to you to use that power?"

Valin frowns, confusion etched onto his face. What Cal says makes sense to him, a lot of it, as he can remember hearing the Dark Side whisper temptations to use it. Yet it flies in the face of the past thirty years of Jedi training.

Valin heaves a sigh, and closes his eyes. "I must meditate on this."

"Do you mind if I joined you?"

Valin pauses, and then shakes his head. "Not at all."

Valin focuses on his meditation. It begins as a simple breathing exercise, one designed to clear the mind of distractions, to still it so the Force can be heard.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Valin sees the Jedi Temple on fire, turbolasers flashing from the sky. The impact of which, create huge gaping holes in the earth, vaporizing homes and people.

Breathe out. Breathe in.

A lightsaber duel. The two opponents, standing near one another, their sabers locked between them as the turbolasers rain down around them.

Breathe out. Breathe in.

Jysella being dragged into the green room. Her struggles futile, as the two men on either side of her have solid holds on her arms.

Breathe out. Breathe in.

Sannah writhing on the floor, she throws out a hand, and Valin notices the web that has started to stretch between the fingers.

Breathe out. Breathe in.

Valin standing in the midst of the Jedi Council, his head held low in defeat and shame. An overwhelming sense of finality slams into him, as the vision Valin turns and leaves the Council chambers.

Breathe out. Breathe in.

Valin opens his eyes, and can feel a frown start to creep onto his face. He is not on the smuggler's ship, but in the green room. Standing, he walks to one of the cylinders on the wall, and rubs away at the dust that coats it. He presses his hand against it, and can feel the Force, twisted and corrupted. Not the way the Dark Side corrupts, but different, as if something is manipulating the Force unnaturally, artificially.

He walks from one to the next, wondering just who is in each of them. Why they were chosen, what made them special.

He stops in front of the last container. It is empty and open. Valin frowns at it, as his thoughts drift back to what he was thinking about. And then he remembers the flashes he had received, and a new thought comes to him.

What makes his sister so special that she too will be placed in one of these things?

A sound from behind him attracts his attention, and he spins, seeing a man standing there, wearing dark red robes with a mask and cowl of the same color. He is holding a lighted saber, with a cyan blade and an oddly absent hum.

Valin pulls his saber, and ignites it. He savors the simple weight and feel; and the comforting thrumming sound that a lightsaber always makes.

The man in red lifts his blade in a salute, and anger erupts in Valin as he quickly closes the distance, and strikes at the man.

To Valin's amazement, the man does not react, and just allows the blade to cleave through him. The man crumples into two piles, and Valin reaches down and pulls away the mask.

Then just as quickly as the anger came if flees, leaving a cold horror in Valin's stomach as he stares into his own eyes.

Then with a gasp, Valin awakens from his meditations.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

Sannah is deep in meditation, probing the Force, trying her best to once more contact Anakin. To get some semblance of affirmation on the course of events that she has chosen. She wishes to know for certain, if the steps she is taking are the ones she should.

To her frustration the Force is silent.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, she opens her eyes, and sees a blue ghost shimmering in a meditation pose directly across from her.

As if he could feel her gaze, his eyes pop open, and he smiles at her.

She returns it. "I thought you were for Ben."

"I am, but due to my other grandson's obstinacy, a family trait I'm sad to say, you lost your guide. The Force in its infinite wisdom has deemed that I get to rectify that situation."

She tilts her head slightly. "Then you can tell me if what I'm doing is correct and right?"

Anakin shakes his head. "No, I cannot. The dead cannot make those types of value decisions. That is why the Force works through the living."

"But this is the course that Anakin sent me down."

"Yes it is. So the question is do you trust Anakin's ghost enough to let him lead you where he wanted you to go?"

Sannah frowns at that. "You're not helping."

"Yeah, that's the problem with us ghost guides. We don't help that much."

"I just want to know if what I'm doing is right."

"What is right? Remember, there was a time, when I thought that slaughtering the Jedi, even the younglings, was the right thing to do. Right so often is a subjective term."

Sannah rubs her face in her hands a low growl coming from her throat. "But is this the best thing to do?"

"The future is always in motion."

Sannah moves her hands away, and stares at the ghost. After a moment, the ghost smiles again.

"The problem with the best thing to do is the same as the right thing to do. Was my slaughter of the Jedi the best thing to do?"

Sannah gives her head a quick shake. "No! You destroyed millennia of knowledge and history."

"Actually, based on my communion with the Force, I think it was the best thing to do, regardless of the fact that it may not have been the right thing to do, at least how you define the right thing to do."

Sannah tilts her head again. "I don't understand."

Anakin sighs slightly. "The Jedi Order of my time had become stagnant and hide bound. They were more worried about maintaining the status quo that they could not see anything above and beyond themselves. Such an Order could not have survived or even prospered much longer, they were destined to fall, and the Force tells me if it had not happened in the way it transpired, then the light of the Jedi Order would have been extinguished for all time. So, it was the best thing for me to purge the Jedi, but it does not mean that it was the right thing to do."

Sannah leans back slightly, thinking hard. "So right and best can be mutually exclusive things."

"Exactly. We just have to trust the Force to lead us."

"I see."

Anakin nods his head again. "Have you been practicing making yourself small?"

Sannah nods her head. "Yes, though I fail to see what I need it for."

Anakin just shakes his head. "It's just something that is good for you to know." Then he fades away, leaving Sannah alone once more.

Standing, she can feel her joints pop from staying in one position to long, and she grabs her saber, and steps out of her cabin, looking around the common room. She sees Valin and the old woman in conversation about something, and glances towards the cockpit door, noting that it is closed. Frowning she focuses the Force that way, and can feel her hands start to warm from embarrassment as she figures out what Ben and Jysella are doing in there.

Turning from the room, she heads towards the cargo bay, which while empty is large enough to perform some simple training katas. She strips off her cloak and tunic and pants, revealing a set of tight fighting training outfit.

With a deep breath, she closes her eyes and activates her saber, and steps forward, her blade lifting, moving to a point where it can protect her from another saber.

Another breath, and another step, and the saber moves to a lower guard.

Another breath and another step, and the saber moves to a standard parry position.

Another breath and another step, and the saber moves to an attack position.

Then she speeds up, her step moving faster and faster, her saber a whirl around her as she quickly falls into the patterns of the exercise, of the dance back and forth across the floor of the cargo hold.

She keeps her eyes closed, focusing on the Force on her movements, trying to still her mind of the doubts that plague her.

Then suddenly her saber crashes against another one, and her eyes pop open. Valin is standing there, his silver blade crossed against hers, a smile on his face and in his eyes.

"Would you mind some company?"

She takes a step back, and allows a smile to come to her face. "I'd love some."

Then they give each other abbreviated bows, and Sannah strikes. She jumps forward, her saber slamming against his with a crackle of energy, she lands and twists, stabbing her blade forward, exhilarating in the moment, in the movements.

Exhilarating in the company.

She decides that she likes this, having someone to train with, someone to talk to. Having someone. It is something that she has missed.

And it means all the more to her that that someone is Valin once again.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39 **

Jysella opens her eyes, and stares at the wall of the cabin she is in for a second, her mind racing over the events of the past few hours. She allows a small smile to come to her lips, as she snuggles back against Ben. Her movements, causing him to instinctively pull the arms he has around her tighter.

She reaches out in the Force, and can feel him there, a beacon of quiet strength, not wholly pure, yet not tainted by darkness.

She can feel the strength and warmth of his arms wrapped around her body, they are comforting and protective. It is a feeling that she decides that she likes.

Sighing slightly, she closes her eyes, and let's sleep claim her once again.

She opens her eyes to find herself in the green room once more. She glances at the tubs set into the wall, and notices that five of the seven are filled with that rolling, vicious, black-red fluid.

As usual, two men enter from the doorway, dragging someone, this time it is a mountain of a man. He is dressed in a simple cotton tunic, plain brown pants and has a battered lightsaber attached to his belt. As they drop him onto the table in the center of the room, Jysella gets a good look at his face.

The rugged features, that speak of many fights, the chin covered by the full brown beard that is shot through with grey, and the large slash on the side of the head, which details why he is unconscious.

One of the men cuts away the clothes of the unconscious man, and the other stabs him with an injector, depressing the button to empty its content into the unconscious man.

As soon as the injector is empty, the unconscious man starts twisting and writhing on the table, his mouth opening in a scream that Jysella cannot hear.

Then the other two, grab him, and drag him to the sixth capsule, throwing him inside as if he was nothing. They stand and watch as the container quickly fills with fluid, and then turn away, and leave the room.

Jysella moves closer, and the man's eyes pops open, those eyes are brown, haunting and familiar. He falls forward, slumping to the bottom of the tank.

With a start, she sits up in the bed, the sheets sliding off her. As Ben awakes, he sits up as well, placing a hand on her shoulder. She closes her eyes and starts doing a simple breathing exercise to get her heart and emotions back under control.

"You all right Jys?"

Opening her eyes, she turns to him. "Yes. It was just a dream."

He kisses her shoulder, causing her to shiver slightly. "It didn't feel like just a dream."

She twists to look at him. "Playing in the Force again?"

She watches as a shadow crosses his face, before he nods and starts to smile. "What can I say, it's addictive."

She quirks an eyebrow at that. "The Force or me?"

He laughs, and she decides that she likes how it sounds. "Both?"

Then another of those little kisses on her shoulder causes her to shiver again. She frowns down at him. "Would you stop that, it's giving me the chills."

He laughs gently once more, and lays back down. She turns towards him, lying across his chest, probing him in the Force. "You're more open, I can sense you easier than I used to be able to."

Ben frowns at that, a narrowing of the eyes and hardening of the mouth. "What is it Ben?"

"If you can sense me, who else out there can?"

Jysella frowns at that, she hadn't considered it before. "What if we meditated on it?"

Ben shakes his head. "No, I never was one for meditation."

Jysella leans over him. "Well, we can do something else."

His lips start to curl up. "And you called me addicted."

Any reply she might have made is lost as they come together.

She awakes later, and rolls over onto the empty bed. Frowning, she sits up and sees Ben sitting at a workstation, with his back to her, intently focused on something. She watches the muscles in his back, move slightly as he shifts whatever it is that he's working on. With a grumble, she swings her legs out of the bed, and he turns to face her, with a half-smile on his face.

"Good morning."

She grabs his tunic and slips into it, and nods her head grumpily. He laughs. She raises her head, narrowing her eyes slightly. "What's so funny?"

"Let me guess, you're not a morning person."

"Mornings were invented by the Sith."

Again he laughs, and she can't help but smile slightly.

"Can I ask you something?"

Jysella hesitates for a second, and then nods her head. Ben looks at the wall, and then back to Jysella, a haunted look on his face. He turns away, and pulls out a datapad, punching a few buttons on it. A moment later he hands it over to Jysella. She looksat the screen, at the still image displayed on it and sees a human woman, in her early fifties, with vibrant green eyes, and red hair, with the first streaks of grey.

It is a woman that she has seen in visions, but cannot remember ever meeting in real life. Jysella knows her name, only because Ben told it to her on the Errant Venture.

"What happened to my mother?"

Jysella looks up from the datapad, and shakes her head. "I don't know. I honestly don't know."

Ben leans back in his chair, his face hardening in anger slightly. With a sigh, he blows out his breath heavily, and sits back up straight. "I guess that's just another thing we're going to have to get answers for."


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40 **

Ben sits up in bed, sweat covering his torso, and his breath comes fast and heavy. He glances at Jysella, curled around a pillow beside him, and slips out of the bed.

He can feel the promptings from the Force. Urgent. Demanding.

With a growl, he opens the cabin door and steps out into the common area. He looks around the room, and then heads to his workstation, grabbing a handful of parts, dumping them into a small bucket; he turns away, heading into the hallway leading from the cabins to the cockpit. Halfway down, he stops, and presses on a piece of the wall. A soft click sounds, as a seam appears on the bulkhead. Ben smiles, as he pulls open the compartment, and looks at the assortment of odds and ends he has in there. A cylinder, created so long ago, the components that once a part of the weapon were removed in what was effectively another life, a different life.

Dropping it into the bucket, he grabs a few other parts, and then closes the compartment. A soft click and the wall is once more blemish free. His bare feet padding softly down the hall, he arrives at the cockpit, and reaches overhead, opening the console there. Reaching his hand in, he grabs something, and pulls it out. Holding it up to the light of hyperspace, he watches for a moment, as the light is refracted in the facets of the blue crystal.

He sighs slightly, and then once more heads back to his cabin. Dropping the pieces onto the workstation, he looks to Jysella, noticing that she is still deeply asleep; he crosses over to her and touches her forehead gently with his lips.

"I do this for you, not the Force."

Then he returns to his desk, and picking up the cylinder, probes it with the Force, feeling the energy and intensity which he put into creating the elegant weapon all those long years ago. A smile flickers on his face, as he remembers machining this hilt, crafting it carefully, and lovingly.

Ben feels another twinge in the Force, and he once more sighs, as he picks up a high-energy flux capacitor. Slipping it in, he can hear Jacen's voice in his mind.

_"__A Jedi manipulates the Force, binds the components together, linking them on something more than a mechanical or material level."_

Ben snaps in the dimetris circuitry.

_"__Without this conditioning by the Force, the blade is flawed. It is unable to work at the unimagined efficiency required by a Jedi."_

Ben pushes the adegan crystal into its appropriate spot.

_"Feel the Force, let it flow through you, changing you and your blade."_

Then the power supply is slid into its proper slot. Reaching over, he connects a cable into the recharge port and hesitates. Ben stares at the still useless weapon, wondering if this is what he wants, if this is something he should do.

He realizes that he is at a choice. Will he be Ben Whitesun or will he be Ben Skywalker. Smuggler or Jedi? And just as important, what type of Jedi would he be. Will he be a great and powerful one such as Vima Sunrider, or will he be a betrayer like his grandfather.

He frowns, as the Force twinges once more, urging, demanding he take up the mantle of a Jedi. He closes his eyes, and takes a deep breathe, slowly blowing it out.

The world turns dark.

Ben opens his eyes, and looks around, seeing Jysella standing beside him, her hair streaked with gray. She notices him watching her, and smiles quickly for him. Then she pulls a blade and holds it out to him.

"A lightsaber is the traditional weapon of a Jedi. Not as random as a blaster, an elegant weapon, for an elegant age."

Then she shifts to become Jacen, still holding out the weapon towards Ben.

"It's an obligation, a difficult new set of lessons for you. Perhaps the work involved in building your own lightsaber will teach you to respect it as a tool."

Then Jacen shifts to become Ben's father.

"You may have heard about Jedi Masters during the Clone Wars who were able to fashion lightsabers in only a day or two, using whatever raw materials were at hand, but don't get the idea that your weapon is a quick little project to be slapped together. Ideally, a Jedi took many months to construct a single perfect weapon that he or she would keep and use for a lifetime. Once you build it, the lightsaber will become your constant companion, your tool, and a ready means of defense."

Then Ben takes the weapon from Luke's hand and the world turns dark.

Ben opens his eyes, looking down at the saber hilt still in his hands, the Force still there, still pressing on him to take up his birthright. To become who it meant for him to be.

Muttering a curse, he gives in.

He pushes down on the activator of the recharging station, and stretches out with the Force. He can feel the energy flow into the power supply, and bathes the entire thing with the Force, modifying things on a sub-molecular level, allowing the whole to become greater than each individual piece.

Then it is done, and he gasps out a breath. Trembling slightly as he stands, he walks to the refresher, and washes his face, noticing the stubble that has appeared on his chin. A quick glance at the chrono reveals that three days has passed.

He picks up the saber, and looks at it. With a nod, he presses the activator and smiles at the vibrant blue blade that shoots out with the reassuring snap-hiss. He swings the blade back and forth, listening to the hum change pitch as it moves.

"I see you're finally awake." Ben turns towards the door, and watches Jysella walk towards him, a smile on her face. She briefly presses her lips against his cheek, and takes his hand in hers. "Come on, Mon Calamari is only a few minutes away."

Together they walk out of the room.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41 **

Valin watches Cilghal float in the shallow pool located in her quarters. The elderly Mon Calamari makes no excuse for not leaving the water; she merely opens her eyes and stares at them one at a time. He notices her eyes widen slightly as she gazes upon the smuggler, and a look of disgust when her eyes drop upon Cal.

Finally she speaks, her voice a dry and raspy whisper. "And what brings you here young Jedi?"

Sannah drops his hand and steps forward. "Master Cilghal, we were told by the Force to come visit you; that you would be able to help us understand the visions that Valin and Jysella are having."

Valin swallows nervously as the old Jedi fixes her gaze upon him. "And what are these visions?"

Before he can speak up, Jysella does. "The green room. The one with the seven capsules."

Valin frowns as Cilghal recoils slightly. "You do not want to know about that little Jedi."

Sannah leans down by the pool. "Please Master Cilghal. We need to know."

Cilghal turns and faces Ben. "And what of you Ben? What do you seek?"

Ben shakes his head. "I'm just here for the ride."

Cilghal burbles a laugh, and then submerges herself in the pool, rising a second later. The nictitating membranes over her eyes flicker twice and she nods her head.

"And what do you want Callista. Truthfully, I am amazed that you showed up again, especially in the company of young Ben here."

Valin turns toward Cal, knowing he has heard that name before, but unable to place it. Her expression never changes from the calm, serene acceptance. "Why such hostility Master Cilghal? My sins, though they are many, are mine, and do not concern you."

Suddenly interested in the conversation Valin leans forward slightly, and he can see the unhidden anger that the elderly Mon Calamari directs towards the old woman.

"Your leaving hurt the Master, there are many among the Jedi who will never forgive you for that."

Cal's lips twitch slightly. "Be that as it may, that is between the Master and myself. Leaving is what I had to do; I could not access the Force outside of the Dark, and being around him made the temptation to do so, to great. He understood and accepted."

Cilghal harrumphs, and slips beneath the water again, emerging a moment later. Before Cilghal and Cal can begin their conversation again, Sannah steps forward. "Master Cilghal, please tell us about the green room."

Cilghal looks at her, sadness bowing her body. After a moment, she turns towards Ben. "I leave the decision to Ben. Do you wish to hear this?"

Ben does not even hesitate. "Yes, I do." He smiles down at Jysella as she squeezes his hand.

"Very well young Jedi, if you are all certain that this is a story you wish to hear; then gather round. It all began all those many years ago during the Swarm War. I was charged with discovering as much about the Killiks as possible. How they joined with other sentients, how to reverse the process, everything. A few years later, I finally made the breakthrough I had searched so long and hard for. I found what made UnuThul so powerful."

Cilghal pauses for a second, staring off into space. A quick shake of her head, and she once more focuses on the group before her. "I discovered how the joining affected the Force potential of all the Joiners, to grant a Force Sensitive the strength of the collective whole."

Valin frowns. "I don't understand."

Cilghal turns one of her bulbous eyes on him. "The secret was two different chemicals which affect an individual's body in different ways. One of them turns a body into a transmitter for their Force potential. The other turns the body into a receiver for that Force potential."

Valin nods his understanding, and Cilghal continues her story. "During the Corellian Uprising a few years after the Swarm War, we built the Green Room and used small animals to amp up a few Jedi's Force abilities. It wasn't long after that, that I retired from the Jedi to help rebuild Dac."

Valin rubs his hands over his face as he processes what Cilghal has told them, as he works through all the implications of the situation. Finally he voices another question. "When did they start using Jedi in the machine?"

Cilghal stands up and starts shuffling towards the back room. "This interview is over."

Jysella steps forward. "This isn't a game we're playing here Master Cilghal!"

Cilghal looks back over her shoulder, her nictitating membranes flickering again. "Go ask the Jedi Council if you want more answers than that, after all they are the ones who decided to create the room."

Jysella steps forward. "But Master Cilghal-"

Cilghal spins around. "No. No more questions. No more answers. I have answered enough. I trust you can show yourselves out."

Then she hobbles into another room, closing the door soundly behind herself. Valin frowns as he turns towards the others left in the room. "So did anyone understand that?"

Jysella nods her head. "Yes. The green room is an experiment to boost Force abilities, by using the potential of other creatures."

Sannah steps forward, slipping her arm around Valin's. "So, what happens when all the capsules are full of Jedi?

Cal slowly shakes her head. "I am unsure, but from the feelings received during visions of this room, I have a feeling we shall not like it."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42 **

She stands at the edge of the landing pad, gazing out at the deep blue of Mon Calamari's seas, smiling at the smells of salt and water that permeate the air. The sound of shuffling feet attracts her attention, and she turns finding Jysella standing next to her.

"Hello Jysella."

The younger girl nods her head once, and then glances away from the ocean towards Sannah. "You make Valin happy."

Sannah's eyes open wider, as she wonders where this is going. "As he does me."

Jysella nods her head once more, a quick, abbreviated movement. "I know."

Silence falls between the two girls.

After a moment, Sannah turns towards Jysella. "What do you think will happen when we get to Ossus?"

Jysella sighs, and sits down on the edge, letting her feet dangle in the air. "I'm not sure. Did you ever have any visions of the green room?"

Sannah sits down beside her. "I shared one with your brother." She looks around, seeing if Ben is anywhere nearby. "I saw Master Mara in it."

"Mara? As in Ben's mother Mara?"

Sannah slowly nods her head.

"Did you tell him?"

"No. I, I was scared to. I wouldn't know how to tell him that his mother is in one of those things."

They turn towards the ship, as they can hear someone coming down the ramp, a moment later Ben appears. "You two ready?"

Both of the girls nod their heads and get up, quickly boarding the ship. Sannah watches as Jysella whispers something to Ben, and then follows him to the cockpit. She turns around, looking for Valin, and sees him just entering into his room. With a small smile on her face she walks over and knocks on his door.

As the door slides open, Valin's face brightens. "Hi Sannah."

"I was wondering if you wished to meditate."

He motions for her to enter, and closes the door behind her. As soon as the door is closed, he reaches out and touches the side of her face, running a hand down it. She shivers at his touch, and leans into it, a wistful smile coming to her lips.

Then his lips are pressed against hers, a hunger behind them which she readily answers.

Hours later, she awakens to find herself curled around Valin, bare skin to bare skin. She stretches lazily, and then rests her head once more on his shoulder. As her eyes start to drift shut again, the ship lets out a wrenching sound, and everything in their cabin shifts.

Valin's eyes pop open. "We've just been pulled from hyperspace."

The two quickly get out of bed, and get dressed. A loud clanging noise reverberates through the hull.

"We've been clamped, and are probably about to be boarded."

Sannah picks up her saber, and steps from Valin's room, seeing Jysella and Ben already in the common area, their own sabers in hand. Valin steps up from behind her, as she notices the look pass between brother and sister, and quirks her mouth slightly.

Then the distinctive noise of a hatch being forced open draws her attention once more, and she sets herself ready to repel the boarders.

The shuffle of armor and booted feet precedes them as the seven Federation troops rush into the room, their carbines brought up and held at the ready, their white armor gleaming in the actinic glow of the room's lights.

They are followed a moment later by Kenth Hamner. The Jedi Master has his saber held loose and ready in his palms.

Kenth steps forward. "You are all under arrest by order of the Jedi Council."

Ben raises an eyebrow. "And what exactly is the charge Master Jedi?"

"Failure to obey Council Orders. Since you are all Jedi that is a capital crime."

Ben shakes his head. "But you forget that I'm not a Jedi."

Kenth's saber ignites with a sudden snap-hiss. "Then you are Sith. Which is also a capital crime."

From the hold, Cal emerges. In her hand is an ornate saber, decorated in an ocean motif. She ignites it, and an aquamarine blade comes forth.

"They are under my protection."

Kenth frowns at her. "Who are you? There is only supposed to be the four of them."

She smiles. "I am a Jedi," her smile grows larger. "What you might call a Jedi of the Old Republic."


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

Jysella slips into the co-pilot's seat, and pulls her legs up into it, wrapping her arms around them, as she watches Ben. With practiced ease, the ship lifts from the surface of Dac, heading towards space.

She bites her lower lip, as she considers the man sitting before her. Wondering what it must be like to be the Grand Master's son and want nothing to do with the Force or the Jedi. What a powerful will to be able to deny his father that way.

"Is everything all right Jysella?"

She is startled from her thoughts, and focuses on him, his eyes shining bright blue. She slowly shakes her head. "I was talking to Sannah earlier."

Ben leans back in his seat. "And?"

"She had a vision concerning someone she called Master Mara."

"Mom?"

Jysella nods her head, "I think so."

"What happened?"

Jysella looks at the viewport, towards the swirls of hyperspace, away from those blue eyes. When did they become so blue? "She was in the Green Room."

Ben's eyes narrows, and she notices that the brightness of their blue fades slightly back towards the grey. She watches his face, as his jaw muscles work. Finally he lets out a low exhale. "Thanks for telling me."

Jysella nods her head and looks out the viewport once more. "How long until we get to the Venture?"

"If he stayed where we left him, five days."

Then with a spark erupting from the navicomputer, the swirls of hyperspace disappear, resolving back into starscape. Situated directly ahead of them is the white dagger shape of a star destroyer. Ben reaches for the controls, even as the blue bolts from the ion cannons crash over the ship. With a squelch the console in front of him dies.

Ben slams his fist down on the console and stands, walking to the common area. Jysella quietly follows him and pulls her saber when she gets there. He stares down the hallway to the entrance of the ship, plucking the hilt off his belt. His brows furrow as there is a clang from the hall.

Sannah and Valin walk out and join them. She smiles at her brother, and ignores the face she makes back at him.

Then the distinctive noise of a hatch being forced open draws Jysella's attention once more, and she sets herself ready to repel the boarders. A glance towards her brother and Sannah reveal they have assumed fighting positions as well.

Seven troopers and Kenth Hamner walk in. The Jedi Master has his saber held loose and ready in his hand, and steps in front of the troops. "You are all under arrest by order of the Jedi Council."

Ben voice comes from beside her. "And what exactly is the charge Master Jedi?"

"Failure to obey Council Orders. Since you are all Jedi that is a capital crime."

"But you forget that I'm not a Jedi."

Kenth's saber ignites with a sudden snap-hiss. "Then you are Sith. Which is also a capital crime."

From the hold, Cal emerges. In her hand is an ornate saber, decorated in an ocean motif. She ignites it, and an aquamarine blade comes forth.

"They are under my protection."

Kenth frowns at her. "Who are you? There is only supposed to be the four of them."

She smiles. "I am a Jedi," her smile grows larger. "What you might call a Jedi of the Old Republic."

Then Cal ignites her saber and dashes forward. Her saber slipping in, slamming hard against Kenth's.

The troopers raise their rifles, and Jysella jumps forwards, putting her saber through the carbine of the closest trooper. She then spins and slices through the armored torso.

A quick glance around the room reveals the others have dealt with the other troopers, while Cal fights Kenth to a stand still.

Her eyes turn to Ben, to see him staring at Cal for a moment, a scowl on his face. Then he turns and rushes to the cockpit. Jysella looks after him, and then turns back to Cal, noticing that she is fighting him back off the ship.

The shuffle of armored feet sounds up the hall, and she notices Valin rush that way, his saber thrumming, with Sannah closely behind.

She hears Ben's voice coming from the cockpit. "Jys! As soon as Cal has him off the ship, close the ramp."

She rushes that way, finding Sannah just inside the ramp, a blaster burn to the shoulder. She takes a few steps down the ramp just in time to see Cal batting Kenth's blade away, and further down. She looks around, and sees Valin off to the left, redirecting blaster bolts towards the troopers who are shooting them.

"Valin! Cal! We need to go!"

Valin nods his head quickly and starts retreating back towards the ship.

Jysella turns towards Cal just in time to see Kenth's saber extend through Cal's back. As Cal collapses, Jysella rushes forward her saber igniting.

Then Valin is there, his saber blocking away Kenths' blade. He glances once over his shoulder at Jysella. "Go!"

"But-"

"Jys! Take Cal and go!"

Jysella leans down and grabs Cal under her arms, and drags her up the ramp. As soon as she is inside, she sticks her head out again, and sees that Valin is even further away from the ship than before.

Ben's voice rings out from the bowels of the ship. "Jys! We need to go!"

She wipes away a tear as she presses the button to close the ramp.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44 **

"Jys! We need to go!"

He looks down at the console, and sees that the ramp has been closed. With a snarl he launches the ship and shoots out of the tractor area, coming around close to the hull of the giant star destroyer.

He activates the torpedo array, and gets a lock on the primary gravity well generator. With a grin, he depresses the button sending four torpedoes flying towards the generator. They connect with the hull of the star destroyer and explode in a massive display of orange, yellow and red. A warning light on the console in front of Ben flashes from red to green, and Ben reaches up and grabs the hyperspace levers, pushing them forward. The ship begins to accelerate as green turbolasers reach out for them.

Then the stars seem to stretch towards him, then fall away into a blue swirl as the _Scion _enters hyperspace. He leans forward, pressing his head against the console in front of him slowly exhaling the tension away. He hears the door behind him open, and the shuffle of feet.

Opening his eyes, he spins in his seat, and sees himself being stared at by two irate females. Jysella steps forward, hurt evident in her eyes.

"We can't just leave him there!"

Ben leans back in his chair. "I'm sorry Jysella. We'll get him back, besides we know where they're going."

Sannah pulls on one of her braids. "And how do we know where they're going?"

Ben focuses on her, noticing the tears that have gathered in her eyes. "Because Kenth was there to arrest us. If they're arresting us, they want to take us back to Ossus so we can appear before the Council."

Sannah steps around Jysella, and leans down close to Ben. "We, me and him, both risked a lot to rescue you. You could return the favor."

Ben stands, causing Sannah to take a few steps back. "I know that! And I know that there is a Star Destroyer's worth of soldiers there who want to arrest us, while when you were rescuing me, they all just saw two Jedi coming for a prisoner."

Ben brushes past them, stalking out into the corridor, his head lowered, as he walks into the common area, and sees Cal spread out on a crash couch there. He kneels beside the couch, and looks at the cauterized wound just beneath the heart. Her eyes open slightly as she looks at Ben.

She opens her mouth to speak, but only a weak moan comes out. He takes her hand in his. "It'll be all right Cal. Everything will be all right."

She smiles slightly. "I know. I return to the Force soon."

"The kriffing Force! Why the Sith does every person around me worship the Force? It has forsaken us! Don't you all get that?"

She weakly squeezes his hand. "The Force has not abandoned you." A cough wracks her body causing bright blood to appear on her lips. "Just because what you expect to happen doesn't, does not mean that the Force has abandoned you."

Ben brings the withered hand up to his cheek. "I'm going to miss you Cal, but I'm not sure I believe you."

She nods her head. "Trust the Force Ben. Trust yourself."

Her body shudders, and goes limp. A hand falls on his shoulder, and he looks back to see Jysella and Sannah standing behind him.

The Force cries out from the death of a Master, as Ben's body hitches from his tears. He reaches out and runs his hand over her sightless eyes, closing them.

"Good bye Callista."

He stands and turns away from her, facing Sannah and Jysella. His face, his eyes, hardening slightly. "We need to get back to the _Venture_. Booster won't wait for us for long."

He glances behind him once more, in time to watch Callista's body fades from view. Then taking a deep breath, he turns to face Sannah and Jysella once again.

"Now, do the two of you really want me to turn this ship around or shall we continue on, like Valin wanted us to?"

Jysella turns her face away, looking down at her hands, as Sannah lays a hand on Ben's shoulder.

"We're following your lead Ben. Get us back to the _Venture _as fast as you can."

Ben nods his head, and returns to the cockpit, looking for a way to get a little more speed from the ship.

As he slides into the pilot's well, he hears a masculine voice behind him.

"Trust the Force Ben."

He glances that way, and sees the ghost of his grandfather. Snarling slightly, he replies, "Shove it out the airlock."


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

Valin dances around the soldiers, his saber slicing through white armor, flesh and bone with equal ease. He fights in silence with a slight snarl twisting his features.

Behind him and to the left he can hear other sabers, as some of the others fight against the soldiers.

Then a fire erupts in the Force, and he glances towards Cal noticing Kenth's saber lodged in her stomach. From the corner of his eye he sees Jysella rushing to attack Kenth. The vision of her being dragged into the green room flashes in his eyes and he dashes forward, interposing himself between Jysella and Kenth, batting his blade away from the killing strike against Cal.

He glances back over his shoulder towards Jysella. "Go!"

He can feel her hesitation and confusion in the Force. "But-"

Batting away Kenth's blade again he interrupts her. "Jys! Take Cal and go!"

He attacks aggressively then, forcing Kenth backwards and away from Cal, a flicker of light and sound as the elder Jedi slowly falls back under the onslaught.

The whine of a repuslor sounds from behind him as the clatter of additional soldiers rushing to aid Kenth comes from either side of him. His blade starts twirling in large circles in an effort to deflect the blaster bolts and still keep Kenth's blade from finding a purchase in his flesh.

A subtle wind pushes against him, and he risks a glance backwards to see the _Jade's Scion_ slipping out of the magfield. He lets out a slight sigh, and turns his attention once more to the battle in front of him.

He loses count of the number of soldiers he has injured.

He loses count of the number which he has killed.

He is a force of nature, a facet of the Force as he fights to allow his friends to escape the star destroyer. His blade flickers and flies catching bolt after bolt, deflecting and parrying in a smooth transition from fighting against the soldiers to fighting against Kenth and then back again.

Ultimately it is not any single soldier whose blaster bolt strikes him, it is all of them. An ultimate realization of the simple fact that he is out numbered, as such it is only a matter of time before he misses a blaster bolt.

And when he does, he crumples to the deck in an exclamation of pain, as his leg feels as if it's on fire.

He can feel the desperation of Jysella, and then the stretching, of someone going to hyperspace. He looks up at Kenth a snarl on his face, as the Jedi Master's saber hovers inches from his chin.

Kenth looks down at him, his voice drips with condescension. "You've not been a good Jedi recently Valin. The Master's are very disappointed with you."

"You know Kenth, I don't think I much care about that anymore."

The clap of boots attracts his attention, and Valin turns towards the sound to see Jacen walking into the hanger. Jacen calmly and slowly walks over to them, and stares down at him, a sad look flickering on his features.

"Valin, Valin, Valin. Didn't I tell you that you weren't allowed to board the _Errant Venture_?"

Valin can feel the skin of his face tighten as he scowls at Jacen. "Why were you hiding that from me and Jysella? That's our grandfather! Why don't we remember?"

Jacen steps up in front of him, as Kenth lowers his blade. "It was decided that you didn't need to remember, that it would be better for the Jedi to not have attachments like that."

Valin growls and surges to his feet, his right hand cocked back behind his head and balled tightly into a fist. Jacen merely shakes his head, and steps to the side, tossing his hand upwards, flinging Valin backwards with the Force.

Valin lands hard against the durasteel deck, and rolls a few times, until he comes to a step against the landing strut of an E-wing. He struggles to stand, and a few of the troopers grab his arms and drag him off his feet and towards Jacen.

For his part, Jacen stands where he was at, calmly watching as the soldiers manhandle Valin.

Valin stares at Jacen, a sneer on his face as he is dragged from the hanger. As he watches Jacen leans down and picks p his lightsaber. Jacen turns on the smile, the one which so often appears on holos of his father, and looks back to Valin as he is dragged from the room.

He lifts his hand and the guards carrying Valin stop. He lifts Valin's saber up a bit. "Don't worry Valin, you'll get this back one day. But for now I'm afraid I'll have to do this to you." His smile flickers brighter for a second and Valin feels as if a proton torpedo has gone off in his head.

He crumples to the deck, unable to hear anything.

Unable to feel anything.

He opens his eyes, and struggles to lift his head enough to look at Jacen. "What did you do to me?"

Jacen's smile turns decidedly evil. "I just took the Force away from you. After all, I want you to stay where I put you, and I am all out of ysalamari."


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46 **

Sannah sits in vigil over the dead.

Or at least the remains of the dead. She watches the robes which Cal wore. The blood and burns stand out in stark relief against the grey robes.

Sannah wipes away a tear.

To find Valin once again, and then to have him ripped away.

The desolation crashes against her in waves. A veritable sea of pain and misery.

She breathes in, and reaches for him in the Force. Once more finding nothing, just a curious echo where Valin should be. As if someone is blocking his access.

She hates to consider what that means.

Especially in light of the information over the green room, and the huge holes in Valin and Jysella's memories.

She wipes away another tear.

The pain of Valin being in the hands of the Council. While once she would not have considered that something bad, recent events have shaken her faith in the Council.

Have shaken her faith in the Jedi.

Her family.

The only family she has left since the Vong destroyed her home world.

She scrubs her face, and hears one of the doors open. She turns that way and sees Ben standing there, a haunted look on his face as he silently watches her for a second. Then he steps into the cockpit, leaving her once more to her vigil.

The Scion shakes slightly again, and she can feel the almost imperceptible shift of the hyperspace engines switching over to the real space engines.

She wonders what Valin is doing right now.

The ship shakes and shudders, and then there's the sound of released steam from the landing struts. Ben appears from the cockpit, and a moment later Jysella joins him from one of the other rooms, her appearance haggard, her face lined with her pain.

Sannah shifts from her kneeling position, leaning closer and picking up Cal's light saber, looking at the ocean motif which it is decorated with. She stands, slipping the saber into the pocket of her tunic, and turns to the others.

"What now?"

Ben's mouth twitches slightly, an almost grimace. "Now we tell Booster that the Jedi have arrested Valin."

Ben steps past her, and heads to the ramp, slapping his hand against the release, and drumming his foot in irritation as it slowly lowers. Sannah watches him storm down the ramp as it finishes its descent, and hears his voice, drifting back up the well along with Booster's.

Jysella hesitates at the edge of the ramp looking back at her.

"You coming?"

Sannah focuses on her, and nods her head, taking a hesitant step forward.

She takes a deep breath, he throat suddenly feeling dry and scratchy.

Jysella and Sannah reach the bottom of the ramp in time to see Booster storming off to the turbolift. Sannah places a hand on Ben's shoulder, and he turns.

"What's going on now Ben?"

"We're going to Ossus like planned."

"Is that a good thing or not?"

Ben frowns for a second. A tightening of the eyes and mouth. "I don't know Sannah. I honestly don't know."

She watches as he gives a weak smile for Jysella and then walks away, heading towards the same turbolift which Booster took.

Sannah turns to Jysella.

"Can you feel Valin anymore? I can't."

She shakes her head, tears coming to her eyes. "No. Not for a while now. He disappeared from the Force maybe an hour after we had to leave him."

Sannah can feel her heart breaking.

"Do you think he's dead?"

It takes a moment, but Jysella smiles at her, and shakes her head. "No, not my brother. He's too stubborn and hard-headed to let himself get killed."

Sannah is comforted by the words, but part of her notices that Jysella doesn't make eye contact while she's saying that.

And part of her despairs.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47 **

"Can you feel Valin anymore? I can't."

Sannah's simple question cuts through her. A knife shoved into the wound of Ben leaving Valin behind. She quickly shakes her head, feeling the tears that have not left her coming once more to her eyes. "No. Not for a while now. He disappeared from the Force maybe an hour after we had to leave him."

She watches as Sannah seems to deflate. To collapse in upon herself.

Her voice is weaker, as she asks the question which Jysella herself is wondering. "Do you think he's dead?"

The knife in her heart twists.

Part of her hopes her brother is alive. Part of her knows that he is. She does not doubt for a second that he is out there still, protecting her, watching out for her still.

He's her big brother. That's what he does.

He the fear is there. She can't feel him in the Force.

At all. Nothing.

It is almost as bad as when her mother died.

She looks at Sannah, and sees those yellow eyes watching her, needing reassurance and hope to cling too. Pushing aside her own doubts and fears she shakes her head, and smiles, turning her gaze towards the turbolift which took her grandfather away from the hanger.

"No, not my brother. He's too stubborn and hard-headed to let himself get killed."

She focuses on Sannah again, marveling at her. Even though she knows that Sannah is over a decade older than her, she seems like a child, an innocent. It hurts Jysella to see the pain in those yellow eyes. She wraps an arm around her.

"Come on; let's get you to the medward."

Sannah nods her head, and allows herself to be lead from the flight deck.

As they step onto the turbolift, an alarm blares through the hanger, and Jysella turns to the magfield noting that the _Venture _has once more slipped into hyperspace.

A few minutes later, and Jysella is leading Sannah into the medward, watching for a moment as she is lead away by the techs. Jysella lets out a slow, deep breath and then turns from the room, and heads towards the bridge.

She arrives to see Ben and her grandfather arguing over something, and she steps towards them. Ignoring their conversation, she slips her hand into his, and leans her head against his shoulder.

Which effectively stops Booster in mid-rant.

The sudden stilling of his voice causes her to look up at him, and she lifts an eyebrow slightly, as his face gets redder and redder.

He turns on Ben. "And just what are you doing with my granddaughter Skywalker?"

Ben laughs once, a short sharp yip. "Corrupting her of course, now let's get back to planning how we're going to save your grandson."

Booster opens his mouth to reply, and Jysella steps in. "Yes, I think that would be much more productive than fussing about who I chose to spend time with."

Jysella watches as her grandfather grinds his teeth in frustration, a sign which she remembers from her the times when her brother is frustrated. She gives him a big smile, and he sighs in defeat and turns back to the situation table they're working on.

"I expect them to have at least one of the ImpStar deuces in orbit, and maybe even one of the Viscounts, plus at least one planet-based starfighter squadron. If I remember correctly Ossus does not have a planetary shield."

Ben nods his head. "That sounds reasonable. I would also like to drop out of hyperspace early, and head in on the _Scion_. That would put me on the ground before your arrival."

Booster nods his head. "I can send a team with you."

Jysella looks at Ben for a second. "I'm coming with you."

Ben nods his head in Jysella's direction. "And I bet Sannah will want to as well." He glances back towards Booster. "I like the idea of a team; they can plant tracers for you to target against for the orbital bombardment."

Booster nods his head. "Exactly. What's your plan once you get on planet?"

Ben glances towards Jysella for a second. "We find Valin, and then bug out. I hope to be off planet before the bombardment starts."

Booster nods. "Reasonable." Then he turns towards Jysella, giving her a smile. "Might you join me for lunch?"

Jysella smiles shyly in response. "Of course."


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48 **

Ben turns towards the co-pilot's seat and gives Jysella a quick, small smile, which she returns. Then the _Venture _shudders and Ben can see the stars once more through the magfield.

Sannah speaks up from behind him. "We're clear for launch."

"Thanks, Sannah."

Smoothly he directs the _Scion _to leave the hanger bay, pulling up and over the massive star destroyer. Aiming his ship towards Ossus, he waits for the navicomputer to beep, and then pulls back the levers, slinging them into hyperspace.

He sits and watches the swirls and lights, wishing for the peace which they used to give him.

They drop out of hyperspace and find themselves in the midst of a battle fleet. Ben's eyes pop open wider, and he sends his freighter on a spiraling dive away.

"Sannah, get the _Venture _here now! Tell Booster we have a Super and five Imp-Star-Treys."

Then he pushes such concerns from his mind, as he gives himself over to the Force, allowing it to direct his actions, speed up his reactions and give him guidance on the best and safest way to get to the planet beneath.

A flicker of pseudo-motion attracts Ben's attention and he glances to port, and lets out a sigh of relief as he sees the _Errant Venture_ swinging into the system.

"Why so happy Ben? The _Guardian _is going to destroy the _Venture_, and those five star destroyers just have to sit back and watch."

Ben glances over at Jysella still sending his ship in a dizzying series of flips and twists, staying away from the deadly lances of light coming from the fleet.

"Patience Mistress Jedi. The Old Man has a few tricks up his sleeve"

Ben slews his ship to starboard, flipping it around to face the _Venture_, to give Jysella the front row seat on just what her grandfather has there.

His timing is perfect.

Everyone in the cockpit watches in silence as the odd equipment attached to the bow of the _Venture_'s hull starts to glow an eerie familiar green. Finally the light brightens for a moment, and then a beam shoots out from the emitter slamming against the Super Star Destroyer _Guardian_.

The initial impact of the beam vaporizies tons of hull and bulkheads, slicing through the durasteel like a lightsaber, the impact of it pushes the ship backwards as it slowly eats away at the superstructure of the _Guardian _before finally ripping out through the engines.

As soon as the beam breaks through, the _Venture _stops firing and the _Guardian _tumbles away slowly dying; then a secondary explosion occurs in the engineering sections, and the uncontrolled might of those massive engines rips the _Guardian _apart.

"What the Sith was that?"

Ben grins for a moment as he looks at Jysella. "Booster installed a superweapon on the _Venture_. It was designed to destroy capital ships like the _Guardian_."

He glances at her, and gives her a quick smile as she continues to stare out the viewport at her grandfather's ship. Then he flips the _Scion _around, and heads once more to the planet. Behind them space lights up once more and one of the Imp-Stars disappear off of the scanners.

He pilots the _Scion _into the atmosphere, ignoring the warning claxons telling him that the ship is overheating. He rockets downwards, leaving a fire trail through the atmosphere, as he drops recklessly fast. As he reaches the tree line, he bounces on the repulsers, leveling the ship out, and then it rockets forwards once more on its ion engines. The effluence leaves a trail of burning trees behind the ship.

He knows that there is no way that the Jedi Council won't sense the three of them coming. So he is getting there as fast as he possibly can.

In the distance he sees the white spire of the central tower of the Jedi Temple. Within moments he is flashing over the city which surrounds the temple, dropping his speed. He banks around the building, still going at a speed well above sound. When the shockwave catches up to his ship, it slams into the buildings. Some of the older ones crumble, on others windows shatter. Speeders are all knocked out of their flight paths, most of them crashing into the ground or other buildings. He aims the concussion missiles and sends two flying towards the wall which surrounds the building.

Glancing around, he lands the _Scion _in a park a short distance from the hole he blasted into the wall.

The three of them quickly walk down the ramp, followed by Booster's team.

They give a quick salute and then break off into different directions, not needing directions on what they are supposed to be doing.

Ben grips his saber in his hand, and for the first time in his life is truly comfortable welding the elegant weapon.

He stalks forward heading towards the temple, with Sannah and Jysella right behind him.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49 **

He is rudely shoved into a small dark cell. He stumbles as he falls into the room, the guards laughing at him as the door shuts with a solid thud.

One of the soldiers lifts his masked face slightly so that he can look into the cell and Valin has the unmistakable impression that they're still laughing at him.

He sighs as he picks himself up off the floor, and hobbles over to the slab of metal which serves as his bed. He glances at the blaster burn, and shivers wondering why he didn't receive medical treatment before being tossed in here.

He hears a small hissing noise, and with a start stands up, looking around the small cell. He turns in a circle, noting that the noise sounds even regardless of which way he faces.

Then he looks up to see a small nozzle emitting a cloud from the ceiling. The first wave of the stuff hits his face, and the room spins.

He finds himself in the clear air on the ground, his head still pounding, the hissing noise getting louder. He glances up again, and notices that the cloud is getting lower and lower.

Then all he knows is darkness.

Awareness returns slowly.

The scent of polish and burning wax.

The sound of the gentle breathing of people who surround him.

The feel of the cool hardness of marble beneath his cheek.

He opens his eyes, and sees the thick leather boots preferred by the Jedi.

"Ahh, young Jedi Horn. So nice of you to rejoin us."

It's a familiar voice, but Valin has trouble placing it. He has trouble concentrating. Realization comes slowly. _I was drugged._

Valin struggles to his feet, a wave of dizziness washes over him. He squeezes his eyes shut, fighting against the vertigo. He opens them back up, and glances around at the stern faces that look at him.

A knot of worry and fear settles into his stomach. He takes a deep breath and slowly blows it out through his nostrils. _The Master's Council._

A shiver runs up his back.

Suddenly a spot light shines down on him, even as the lighting around the Master's dim. Leaving him light blind and unable to see the Master's.

"Don't you have any words of welcome for us Jedi Horn?"

Valin shakes his head. "I thought I stopped being a Jedi when I boarded the _Errant Venture._ When I saw my grandpa."

"We'll get to that soon enough Jedi Horn. But tell us now, why exactly you broke the rules you were given."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

Force lightning shoots out from the dark, slamming against him, writhing around him. He collapses to his knees, his screams echoing in the Council chambers.

After what feels like eternity, the lightning stops as suddenly as it appeared.

Valin can smell the smoke as it curls off of his skin. He opens his eyes to see a final white tendril of smoke, writhing in the air centimeters above his arm.

_Sith that hurt._

"Now Jedi Horn, why did you disobey the Council?"

Valin struggles to stand, and after a moment manages to stand straight again. He inhales deeply, holding his breath a second, and then exhaling.

"I disobeyed the Council because it was the right thing to do."

"And rescuing the criminal Whitesun? Why did you do that?"

"Because he was no more of a criminal than I am."

A wall of Force energy slams into him. It knocks him off his feet, as he flies backward, a wall slams into him from behind, and he skitters to the ground once more in the pool of light.

He wipes the back of his hand across the bottom of his nose, and as he pulls it away he notices the streak of blood.

"Get up."

Valin stands. "Are you going to beat me up some more with the Force? Not very fair what with my abilities blocked."

"Fine you want your abilities back? Have them."

Fire rips through Valin's head, and his hands automatically slap to his temple as his screams echo throughout the Council chambers.

He falls once more to his knees, squeezing his eyes shoot, hunching over, trying to not throw up from the pain.

Then he opens his eyes, and looks around as the lights come back up. He looks straight ahead and sees the Grand Master of the Jedi standing there, calmly watching him.

Valin frowns for a second, the distinct feeling that something is missing. That something is wrong. He glances around him, suddenly remembering that his last mission was to rescue Jysella. He looks to the Grand Master. "Master? Where's Jysella?"

Luke Skywalker leans down, sadness permeating his eyes. "I'm sorry Valin. But she didn't survive her kidnapping by the smuggler Whitesun."


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

They stalk through the halls of the Jedi Temple. There is the occasional sound of blaster fire. The odd Jedi who watches them as they calmly stride past.

Sannah frowns at just how surreal it is.

As if they weren't there to topple the Jedi Council, but were just reporting back from a normal mission.

They stop outside a heavy door. It is ornate, and decorated with a lightsaber motif, surrounded by curving wings. The symbol of the Jedi.

Once many years ago, the Jedi Council held their meetings from the top room of the tallest spire of the Temple. Those times have long since passed, and the Council moved itself to a lower floor, one that was more defensible.

Sannah looks around her. She can feel Valin near, but he seems off somehow. She glances at Ben. "How're we going to get in? Only the Council has the passcode, and the door was built with cortosis in the center of it to stop lightsabers."

Ben smiles slightly. "Oh? I was thinking about just knocking."

She feels the Force flow through him, and takes an involuntary step back as the doors are wrenched from their hinges and tossed to either side of the doorway.

The room is darkened but she can sense four people within it.

Three of whom presences shines like small stars in the Force.

Then she hears the voice of the Grand Master. "Was there really a need for that Ben? We would have let you in."

"I just didn't trust you enough to let us back out Dad. So tell me, where's Mom?"

Lights come up, and it reveals Jedi Masters Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Corran Horn and behind them and to the side is Valin, an angry scowl is plastered on his face as he stares at Ben.

"I don't know what you're talking about Ben."

With a snap-hiss Ben ignites his saber, and lifts it into a guard position. "It's over Dad. Let those in the green room go."

Luke unleashes a wave of Force energy, which slams into the three of them, and Sannah can feel herself flying through the air. All too soon she slams against the far wall, and slides down in a daze. She glances over and sees Jysella on the floor unmoving, a bright streak of red blood in a line on the wall from where she slid down.

She then looks around for Ben and finds him only a few steps back from where they started.

"Valin, you can kill Whitesun now."

To her horrified eyes, Valin ignites his saber and jumps towards Ben.

"Valin! No!" The scream is out of her mouth before she realizes that she's going to say something. The echoing scream attracts the attention of the three Masters. She struggles to stand, and can hear Luke's voice giving orders.

"Jacen deal with Sannah. Corran, Jysella has proven herself too prone to attachments, and she's powerful enough."

"I agree Master."

Sannah gains her feet, and takes a step forward as the three leave the Council Chambers. Jacen seems to appear in front of her, his saber sliding in for a killing blow.

Without a second to spare, she slips her blade up into a block, catching Jacen's.

He lifts the pressure, and she dances away, a quick glance towards where Jysella lay, and she sees Corran and Luke picking her up by the arms and begins to drag her further down the hall.

Then Jacen's blade is slicing in towards her, and she doesn't have any more time to worry about her friend.

She slips her blade up, catching Jacen's once more, and twists both of their sabers in an attempt to disarm him.

He laughs at her.

"Who do you think you're dealing with fish?"

His hand strikes out, a finger slapping against her chest, and she feels an explosion of Force power tossing her away from Jacen as if she were a rag doll.

Wincing from the pain, she grabs up her saber and starts to stand. She takes another glance around, and doesn't see Jysella anywhere, but does see Valin and Ben fighting in the Council Chambers themselves.

She finishes standing and Jacen is there, his hand around her neck, and lifting her off the floor. She gasps, struggling for breath, and beating against his arm.

Once more he laughs at her.

"You should have been put down years ago fish."

Sannah can feel anger bloom in her chest, and she snarls inarticulately.

Jacen just smiles as he increases the pressure on her neck a bit more.

"You know, I spent years studying various Force traditions, including the Sith. Do you want to know what I found out about your species?"

He drops her, and she lands on her butt, coughing, rubbing at her throat. She glances around for her saber.

"Looking for this fish?"

She looks up and sees Jacen with her saber in his hand.

"As I was saying, do you want to know what I found out about your species?"

"You'll tell me regardless."

"Ha! True enough. I found out that you were made. A created species. All you and your entire species were, were living war droids the Sith to be used against aquatic species."

"I, I don't believe you."

Jacen shrugs his shoulder, a gleam appearing in his eyes, as they slowly shift from brown to yellow. "Doesn't matter if you believe or not. But you're going to change."

Jacen holds his hand out towards her, and Sannah feels a surge of power rush through out her body. An electric fire coursing through her skin, organs, nerves and cells.

He drops his hand. "Welcome to adulthood Sannah."

Then he touches the tip of his saber against both of her legs, hobbling her, ensuring she is unable to reach any of the fountains and tanks that were prepared for her transformation.

He kneels down beside her, a roguish grin touching his lips. "But don't worry; it won't be nearly as long as your adolescence was."

He shifts her legs together, and then stands up, and walks off down the hall.

Gasping for breath, Sannah raises her hand, and sees the webbing that has begun to stretch between her fingers.


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51 **

She feels the power flow through Ben. Pure, clean and focused. With a wrenching sound the doors to the Council Chambers are ripped from their hinges, showering the three of them with flecks of marble and metal.

Ben casually throws them down the hallway, one in each direction.

Jysella sees the Council Chambers. A darkened room without windows, but with four people who seem to glow in the Force.

Jysella's heart skips a beat. _Valin!_

"Was there really a need for that Ben? We would have let you in." Jysella is startled slightly as she hears the Grand Master's voice.

"I just didn't trust you enough to let us back out Dad. So tell me, where's Mom?"

Lights come up, and it reveals Jedi Masters Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Corran Horn and behind them and to the side is Valin, an angry scowl is plastered on his face as he stares at Ben.

"I don't know what you're talking about Ben."

With a snap-hiss Ben ignites his saber, and lifts it into a guard position. "It's over Dad. Let those in the green room go."

Jysella slips her saber off her belt and prepares to press the ignition button when she feels Luke drawing the power to himself. Seconds later a wave of Force energy slams into her and she flies backward. The marble wall on the far side of the room stops her flight and she can feel pain blossom in the back of her head.

She crumples to the ground, and squeezes her eyes shut, fighting the waves of nausea which wash against her.

The sound of lightsabers in use rings harsh in her ears, and she glances around seeing Ben fighting Valin and Sannah fighting Jacen. She tries to lean forward, and a wave of dizziness flows over her.

_I'm moving._

Long before conciousness fully returns that thought is running in her head. She keeps her eyes closed, and her body limp, feeling the strong hands on her arms as they drag her through the temple.

She has the distinct feeling of having been through this before. Of having been dragged down this hallway.

The hands let go of her, and with a short yelp of surprise she falls to the ground.

She opens her eyes, and sees booted feet step past her, and walking over to a simple door.

She starts to push herself up, when a hand roughly grabs her left arm, squeezing it tight. She bites back another yip of pain, and looks up at the man whose hand is on her arm.

And her world shatters.

His voice which should be filled with love and warmth is gruff and harsh and cold. "Get up."

She can feel the despair as it roots in her heart and the tears as they slide down her face. She remembers this vision, though she wishes she didn't. She had hoped and prayed to the Force that this vision was wrong. That it wasn't going to come true.

That he wouldn't be involved.

That he wouldn't be betraying her like this.

She feels like a little girl again. A child, alone, lost and confused. "Daddy?"

Corran Horn ignores her questions, and pulls roughly on her arm once more. "I said get up."

She hears the other person walking towards her again and looks that way seeing the Grand Master. Luke grabs her right arm, and together the two Masters drag her to her feet and lead her forward.

The group goes through a portion of the Temple that Jysella doesn't recognize. They continue in silence, and Jysella's fear grows with every meter they cross.

Finally they come to a door, and it slides open at their approach. The smell of chemicals and dust wafts out and catches Jysella's nose, and she twitches it slightly wanting to rub it, but unable to move her arms.

As they step into the room, her heart sinks. It crashes to her feet and through the floor.

Luke and Corran drag her into a round room, with seven cylinders aligned against the wall. Six of which are filled with a rolling, red fluid. The walls are a bright, friendly green. A direct contradiction of the feeling she gets from the room. Small windows let in a minimum of sunlight, giving the room a gloomy air.

They push her in, and she stumbles forward, catching herself on the table in the center of the room.

"Strip her down, while I prepare the serum."

"Yes, Master."

She turns her head, and sees Corran closing the heavy door, and pressing his hand against the palm lock. She looks the other way and sees Luke doing something at a small shelf on the wall.

Corran steps closer to her, and she shrinks away from him. "Strip now."

Jysella shakes her head.

His hand snakes out fast and hard, striking her and she can taste blood. "Strip or else I cut them off of you."

He ignites his saber to emphasize his point.

Jysella stands, and glaring at her father, unbuckles her belt.


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52 **

Ben stands before the large doors which lead into the Jedi Council chambers.

The winged lightsaber inlay gleams slightly in the hall lights. In the Force he can feel Jysella and Sannah beside him, calm and prepared. He reaches out and caresses Jysella's Force presence, a quick gentle kiss, and then stretches out further, feeling what is on the far side of the wall.

_Power. Unlimited power._

He frowns for a second, and Sannah speaks up. "How're we going to get in? Only the Council has the passcode, and the door was built with cortosis in the center of it to stop lightsabers."

Ben lets a smile come to his face; he wants to laugh at that. "Oh? I was thinking about just knocking."

He grabs the Force, pulling it to him, and then reaches out for the doors, grasping them, he pulls. With a wrenching sound they tear free of the Hapan marble they were set in. Ben shrugs and they fly off in different directions, tumbling down the hallway.

The Council Chambers are darkened, but Ben can easily feel the four people within it. Three of whom are vast, untapped pools of Force energy. It nearly writhes around them, and for a moment Ben wonders why it's not a physical glow surrounding their bodies.

Then he hears his dad. A voice he hasn't heard in years. The old anger and frustrations surface, and Ben quickly pushes them down.

"Was there really a need for that Ben? We would have let you in."

Ben raises an eyebrow. "I just didn't trust you enough to let us back out Dad. So tell me, where's Mom?"

Lights come up, and it reveals Jedi Masters Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Corran Horn and behind them and to the side is Valin, an angry scowl is plastered on his face as he stares at Ben.

Luke speaks again. "I don't know what you're talking about Ben."

Ben sighs, and thumbs on his saber, lifting it into a guard position. "It's over Dad. Let those in the green room go."

As he says this his father pulls the Force to him, and thrusts out. A wave of Force energy more powerful than anything Ben has ever felt before. He feels Jysella and Sannah fly through the air even as he uses the Force to anchor himself to the spot. But even still, he feels himself slipping back, away from the Council chambers.

Pain blossoms in the Force, and he glances towards Jysella, noting the streak of red running from where she impacted the wall to where she lays crumbled in a heap on the ground.

He growls and starts forward.

"Valin, you can kill Whitesun now."

He rushes forward, the blood pounding in his ears, cutting out distractions. He swings in hard, his saber flashing forward to cut into his father, when it is suddenly stopped by a silver-white blade.

Ben glances to the left, and sees Valin standing there an angry scowl on his face. Ben starts to shift, even as Valin's fist collides with his jaw. Grunting in surprise, he twists around, stepping back from his father.

His and Valin's blades are pointed at each other, both of them occasionally twitching them, testing the other's stance and readiness to attack.

They slowly circle around a common point; Ben tightens his jaw, as he sees the anger and hate forming on the older Jedi's face.

"I don't want to do this Valin."

"All you've got to do is die Whitesun. Suitable punishment for what you did to my sister."

Ben frowns at this, and glances towards where Jysella was laying, noting that Corran and Luke had picked her up and were dragging her down a hallway.

"I'm not the one that hurt Jysella. My dad and yours did that."

"LIES! You killed her!"

Valin strikes. His blade slices in towards Ben's, crashing against his. He advances, his blade constantly probing, trying to get past Ben's defenses.

Then the ground shakes, and a shaft of coherent light slams through the ceiling, the edge of the first turbolaser strike. It rips a whole in the structure of the Temple, leaving the Council Chambers exposed to the elements.

Ben continues to fight defensively, falling back and away, heading towards the exterior of the building. Every move he makes a defensive gesture.

He is hoping that Valin will wear himself out.

Hoping that he won't have to kill the brother of the woman he loves.


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53 **

Valin slams his blade against Ben's again. Reveling in the sound of the two sabers crashing together, the constantly shifting thrum as they swing their blades in an endless series of strikes and parries.

The sheer joy of the battle.

Of besting the murderer of his sister.

Of avenging her.

Of killing Whitesun.

It is that thought, that emotion which drives him. Valin pushes out all other considerations. He ignores the babbles of the murderer. He ignores the slight stitch in his side from the exertions of this battle.

He even ignores the rain of turbolaser fire which surround them, tearing huge gouts out of the Temple and the town which surrounds it.

It is all just distractions.

Attempts to keep him from doing what the Grand Master ordered.

Attempts to keep him from exacting his revenge for Jysella.

Calling upon the Force, he strikes and batters away at Whitesun. He can feel the sneer stretching his features; he can feel the hate giving him strength and power.

A wave of Force energy picks him up and tosses him away from Whitesun. He slams against a wall, crumpling to the floor, and lets a growl out, as he picks himself up from the ground.

"Stop it Valin. We need to go help Sannah and Jysella, not fight out here."

Valin can feel his rage erupt anew. How dare this whelp act as if he was worried over Jysella. "You killed Jysella!"

"I don't know what you're talking about Valin."

"Liar!"

Valin dashes forward, his blade reigniting, as eh comes in for a killing stroke. Ben is able to get his blade up in time. Then Valin shifts his saber around, knocking Ben's away. Then he snap-kicks Ben in the stomach.

Valin grins, as Ben stumbles backward, clutching at his stomach. He steps forward, lifting his blade once more for a killing strike. He slams his sword down, and finds it once more connected against Ben's.

Then pain explodes in his jaw, the impact of Ben's fist causing his teeth to click together. Ben spins, swiping Valin's feet out from under him, then with a touch of the Force, he flips backwards landing on his feet.

Valin struggles to his feet, watching as Ben sets himself into a mid-guard ready stance.

Valin rushes forward, his saber slicing in fast towards Ben's stomach. Ben catches the blade, and falls back, stepping out onto a thin railing wrapped around the side of the building.

Valin growls as he follows Ben onto the walkway, the turbolasers still falling from the sky, burning through the city which surrounds the Temple.

Ben comes to the end of the walkway, his back pressed up against the waist high railing, his saber raised in a defensive posture. Valin grins at his trapped prey.

And then strikes. A powerful overhand blow, which Ben easily catches on his saber, and overbalances Valin, so he stumbles off to the side. Their locked sabers slash into the connection of the railing and the wall, slicing through it.

Valin cuffs Ben in the face, knocking the younger man backwards, against the railing. Valin straightens, and slices towards Ben again, who ducks which allows Valin's blade to slice through the railing causing a huge section to fall away to the ground below.

Ben once more assumes a defensive stance, and Valin rushes him. Ben knocks his saber up, and Valin is unbalanced, slipping off the side of the walkway.

He is falling.

The grasp of a hand around his wrist snaps his arm tight, stopping his fall. He looks up to see Whitesun hanging over the edge of the walkway, holding tightly to him.

Anger wells up in Valin's chest, and he swings his saber at the walkway, slicing through a support strut. With a wrenching sound, the walkway tilts and Ben starts sliding forward.

Valin looks on with a grin as Ben drops his saber to get a better hold of the grating of the walkway.

"Are you insane Valin! Get up here, so we can go rescue your sister."

Valin doesn't answer, just snaps his saber onto his belt, and then allows Ben to pull him up so he can get the necessary leverage needed to get himself back on the walkway.

A few minutes later and he is lying on his back, staring at the sky above. Then Ben slaps him on the shoulder. "Now come on. We got to go find Jysella."

Valin grabs the hand and slams Ben against the wall, pulling his saber and pushing it against Ben's temple in one smooth movement.

He allows a grin to settle on his lips. "And now I get to avenge Jysella's death."


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54 – Sannah 

Sannah can feel the fire as it rages through her body. A tightening of the chest, her legs as they start to fuse together, the webbing which slowly sprouts from between her fingers.

She collapses back to the cool stone marble, letting the tears of grief rip through her body.

Glancing up towards the Council room, she sees Valin batting Ben's blade away, driving him backwards out the giant hole which the turbolaser blast ripped into the building.

She calls out for him. "Valin!"

But her voice is weak. Its strength lost to the energy her body is consuming to fuel the changing.

And she begins to despair.

An emotion which increases her body's change.

Which causes her despair to deepen.

It is a cycle which she cannot seem to escape. Too far from any of the specialized pools made for this eventuality, too far from Valin. She hooks her hands into claws, and tries to drag herself forward, tries to drag herself to Valin.

Then fire rips through her again, her lungs struggling to breath, she can feel as the skin around her neck, beneath her jaw starts to pulse, her gills attempting to break through the skin and take over their duties of processing oxygen from the water for her.

She knows that when that finally happens, she will be dead.

She lays her forehead on the cool marble, and can feel the tears as they well up, her shoulders hitches as she gives into the despair and grief.

As she breaks down and cries.

Then her tears end. Her tear ducts, sinking away, being replaced by a nictating membrane for her eyes.

With her forehead pressed tight against the floor, she wonders what she can do. How she can help her friends before she dies. She wonders if this will really be her end.

Then she remembers Anakin.

His words to her. What he taught her.

A flicker of a grin crosses her lips as she repeats the words he told her just a few nights ago. "You have done well, but I want you to continue practicing, trying to make yourself smaller. When you get small enough, you'll be able to control things on a molecular level."

She hadn't understood why he was teaching her this skill. Why he responded with a quote about the Dark Side when she had asked. But as she focuses on her feelings she realizes just how close she was to giving into despair and hopelessness.

How close she was to giving up.

She reaches into herself, making herself smaller and smaller. Shrinking her inner being to microscopic levels.

Pain flares in her throat, and she is suddenly unable to draw a breath. With an effort, she pushes the growing discomfort, the growing need for air away, focusing on her inner self.

And then she makes herself even smaller.

She can sense how her body is put together, the nucleotides, the proteins, even the cellular mechanisms which Jacen activated in her to cause the Changing. And she reaches for them and starts turning them off.

Then she makes herself smaller, and realizes that she can reprogram them. To make them return her to her original state.

As she works, she realizes that Jacen was right. The Melody were manufactured from humans, created things, their environment causing the Changing to occur.

As she releases the first of the antibodies to her Changing she grins, finding it ironic that the salvation to her Changing would be found in the very mechanisms which caused the Changing in the first place.

She gasps, oxygen flooding her lungs as she draws a breath.

And then another.

She struggles into a sitting position, and looks around. Scowling, she tries to remember where the others went. Then she remembers Valin and Ben fighting.

Muttering a curse, she struggles to stand, the pain in her legs flash for a second and then subsides. Grimacing, she gets up, and begins the slow walk to the large hole in the side of the building.

She comes around the corner, and finds them, Valin sitting in front of Ben, his saber pressed tight against Ben's head.

She almost can't believe the words he's saying.

"And now I get to avenge Jysella's death."

She darts forward, her hand grabbing Valin's, and pulling his saber away from Ben's head just as it ignites with a snap-hiss.

He turns on her, anger and hate flashing in his eyes. With a wordless growl, he pulls his arm away, lifting his saber to strike at her.

She stands her ground, staring up at him. Her heart breaking at his stance, his aggressiveness. She feels a tear slide down her face.

He hesitates.

"If you're going to kill me, can you at least kiss me one last time?"


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55 **

She shimmies out of her pants, and stands in front of Master Skywalker and her father in nothing but her undergarments. She wraps her arms around each other and over her chest, shivering slightly in the cold air of the green room even as she stares defiantly at her father.

"Why are you doing this Daddy?"

Her voice is confidant and strong. The voice of a Jedi. Yet inside her heart is torn, a deep sense of loss and betrayal rests there, hanging onto her.

"For the good of the Order. Now lay down on the table."

Jysella gives a quick shake of her head, anger blossoming in her chest, fueling her defiance.

Then a Force grip grabs her and plucks her off of her feet. She hangs in the air for a second, and then is slammed atop the table. Her breath rushes from her in a gush, and she struggles to regain it. She feels hands on her shoulders, and twists around, breaking the grip.

"Don't touch me!"

Her Force sense tingles and she twists her head, just as a fist slams into the table, centimeters away from her head.

Luke speaks for the first time. "Just calm down Jysella. There's no escaping this. It's going to happen."

She twists her head around, glaring daggers at Luke. Then spits at him.

"Ben will save me."

Luke shakes his head slowly. "My misguided son is too busy having to save himself from your brother. No, there is no escape for you; your hope in Ben is sorely misplaced."

She stretches out with the Force, trying to touch Ben, her brother, anyone.

And her Force probe is smashed down by a surge of power from Luke.

"No distracting them."

She feels hands on her shoulders again, and Luke steps forward lifting an injector. Scowling, she pushes off with her feet, slamming her head into Corran's stomach.

Corran doubles over, letting go of Jysella. She rolls off the table, narrowly escaping being grabbed by Luke. She drops down to the floor, and shifts through her clothes, until she finds her saber.

She stands, and ignites the blade, slamming it down through Corran's shoulder.

Corran lets out a scream, which he quickly bites back.

They stand there like that, Jysella's blade in his shoulder, him staring at her, hate filling his eyes, as tears falls from hers.

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

She feels the Force writhe around them. His voice is cold and hard. "You little schutta."

Then a wrongness creeps into her weapon. She turns her attention from Corran's yellow eyes to the silver light of her blade. Just in time to watch it flicker one.

And then again.

And then disappear entirely. Jysella flips the handle around again, staring at it with an open mouth. She pushes the activation button again.

Nothing happens.

She looks at her father, as she says "Oh, kriff."

He smiles and releases the energy he had absorbed.

Jysella has a split second to throw up a shield as the wave of energy slams into her. She attempts to absorb the Force energy to feed her shield but feels it crumbling around her.

She struggles, her hands held out in front of her, her eyes screwed tight in concentration.

Luke's voice sounds out again. "Just give it up, Jysella. You'll be happier."

She shakes her head. A wild movement, which throws her hair around her head. "No!"

Then her shields fail, and the wave slams into her. She flies back and hits the wall, her already abused head blossoming in pain once more. She crumbles to the ground, curling around herself as she falls.

She gives her head a slight shake to clear it, moaning at the pain the movement causes. She hears the scuffle of a boot, and looks up to see Luke and Corran standing over her.

She feels a tear slide down her cheek.

"Ben will rescue me."

The door slides open, and Jysella's heart leaps. She starts to smile, as she lifts herself up to look that way.

And then her world crashes anew. Standing in the doorway is Jacen Solo, not Ben.

She feels a quick stab, and the rush of something entering her body. Pain rips throughout her, an agony which spreads from every cell.

Then the pain fades and leaves nothing behind.

She is brusquely yanked to her feet, and quickly shoved into one of the capsules. She slides down to the bottom, wrapping her arms around her legs, leaning her head against the hatch.

The thick reddish fluid begins bubbling in from the bottom, and Jysella finally allows herself to truly cry.


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56 **

Sannah says, "If you're going to kill me, can you at least kiss me one last time?"

Valin hesitates. Ben doesn't.

He reaches out with the Force, and quickly puts Valin to sleep.

Valin crumples into Sannah's arms, her expression quickly changing from one of fear and depression to one of shock. She glances towards Ben. "What?"

Ben smiles at her. "I put him to sleep."

Then Ben looks over the edge of the building, seeing his lightsaber in the rubble below. Reaching out with the Force he draws it to himself, and then starts back towards the Council Chambers. "Keep an eye on him. I'm going after Jysella."

Sannah nods her head, and Ben rushes off.

He enters the remains of the Council Chambers, and reaches out with the Force, looking for Jysella, his father and his cousin. He steps out into the hall, and turns left, running down the hallway, following the feelings in the Force.

He's a dozen or so meters from a heavy wooden door when pain rips through his mind. Sympathethic agony. The pain is Jysella's.

He opens his eyes, to find himself on a level with the floor. Grimacing, he picks himself up, and pats down his body to make sure nothing's broken. He pulls his saber, and closes the distance to the door.

He looks at the door, noting the manual lock. Without hesitation, he ignites his shoulder and slams it into the door, slicing away the lock. With a flick of the wrist, he cuts horizontally through the door, and then slices away the hinges.

He reaches out with the Force and pushes, slinging the doors inwards.

He grins at the "oof" that sounds from in the room beyond.

He steps into the green room. Pain and misery, despair and betrayal assault him in the Force. A physical slap in the face as he stares at Jacen and his father standing beyond the table situated in the center of the room. Beneath the halves of the door, Ben can just make out the unconscious form of Corran Horn.

Luke smiles. "You like damaging doors, don't you Ben?"

Ben ignores the banter. "Where's Jysella and Mom?"

Ben sees Luke's eyes flicker to one of the containers. "Who?"

Ben snarls, and dashes forward, running over the door halves, hearing Corran grunt again, then he is up on the table, sliding across it, his saber held aloft. Luke steps backwards, and Jacen flicks a hand upwards slapping Ben away.

Ben grabs the Force, and uses it to ensure he land on his feet. Then Jacen is before him, his saber flashing in for a killing stroke.

Ben deflects the slash, and flicks his blade around and up, slicing away Jacen's hands. As Jacen drops to his kneeds, Ben slams the pommel of his saber into the top of Jacen's head knocking him unconscious.

Ben is looking down at Jacen when a warning comes to him through the Force. He drops and rolls and can hear the thrum of a saber slash over his head. Standing, he turns around, and sets himself into a mid guard. His father is standing there with an angry snarl on his face.

He takes a step forward, and Luke's hand slashes out, lightning erupting from it, smashing into and through Ben. A wave of directed energy, greater than anything Ben has ever felt before in his life. The sheer force of it, throws Ben against the wall, pining him there.

The lightning stops and Ben slumps to the ground, his body twitching from the energy slowly being released from him. Luke steps closer.

"I'm sorry it's come to this Ben. But this is for the best for the galaxy. The galaxy needs a strong Jedi Order. And this allows us to be strong." Luke extends his hand. "Join me, join the Jedi, and we can ensure that peace rules."

Ben shakes his head. "You're just as bad as Palpatine."

Luke's extended hand drops as does his face. A wave of sadness washes through the Force. "Then I'm sorry son, there's no hope for you."

Ben can feel his father gathering the Force to himself. A gathering, which he realizes comes from those in the capsules which line the far wall as it does from within Luke himself.

He remembers what Cilghal said on Mon Calamari.

And he stands, hefting his saber, igniting its blade. He lifts the blade high, up by his right ear.

"There's always hope. Someone will always stand against you dad. You talk about peace, but you just want power."

He glances around the room, and finds what he's looking for, then with a grin, he attacks. His saber slicing in fast and hard.

But his attention is focused almost exclusively on Jysella's lightsaber.

As his body is on auto-pilot, and swinging his blade with a savage intensity, he picks up Jysella's blade, ignites it and cuts through the locking mechanism of the first capsule.

The Force writhes, as a flood of red fluid washes out of the container. A smell slightly reminiscent of bacta hangs on the air. A curled human male, with blonde hair, and hard knobby, armored prosthetics falls out from the container.

Luke snarls, and yanks Jysella's blade from Ben's mental grip. But Ben is already moving, and slashes through two more tanks. He absently notes that those contained his mother, and a blonde who looks familiar.

A bolt of lightning strikes the container to the left of Ben, and it explodes in a gush of red fluid, coating Ben with the stuff. Ben ducks another blast of lightning, which scribbles dark lines against the green paint of the wall, and then stands, and slices away the door of the next container.

Ben dances backwards, as lighting strikes the next container, and it explodes, the locking mechanism showering him with sparks. A crack appears running down the front glass plate, and Ben notes that as the fluid flows out, flames rest on top of the liquid.

Then Ben is at the final container, and slashes through its lock. The fluid rushes out as the door swings open, and from the corner of his eye, Ben can see Jysella flop to the floor, unconscious.

Ben turns back to Luke, putting his saber between himself and the lightning which Luke sends his way.

The onslaught stops, and Ben lowers his blade slightly. His face hardening, as he protects the Jedi spread out on the floor behind him.

"It's over dad."


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57 **

Valin can feel nothing.

He is surrounded by emptiness on all sides, his consciousness trapped within a Force compulsion to sleep. He recognizes it, as he has been placed under this way during his training on a number of occasions.

He swims in the inky darkness, noticing the flickers of reds and yellows at the edge of his awareness. They are symbols of the hate and anger which had gripped him prior to the compulsion. He sighs, wondering what could have pushed him over the edge so much that he would give into those dark emotions.

Then a blast of light flashes through the darkness. The Force writhing as something unnaturall affects it, affects its balance.

A discordant tone, which wrenches Valin from sleep, pushing him towards wakefulness. He stretches out with the Force, trying to find the source of the disturbance, and is surprised to find new, powerful Force presences flickering onto the mental landscape. People, fully trained Jedi, that seem all too familiar to him, are appearing in the Force.

He frowns, and realizes that he is once more becoming aware of his body. A tingling feeling in his arms and legs, a dull throb in the back of his head. The steady pace of respiration, the simple, instinctive actions of breathing and the compulsory beating of his heart.

Valin can feel something wrapped around him, tight, tapered bands pressing him against something warm and soft. The scent of minerals and water fills his nose. It is a comforting and comfortable smell, and he relaxes into the embrace.

He gives an internal frown as he tries to remember where he is at, what he was doing.

Then it comes back to him.

The Council Chambers.

Master Skywalker and Ben.

Being ordered to fight.

Raising his blade against Sannah.

His eyes pop open, and he struggles against what is holding him down, her name ripping from his throat, as he glances around the area, scared to death of finding her body.

Scared to death of not finding it.

Then he hears her voice, coming from behind him, no words - just soft soothing sounds. He twists around, and finds himself staring up into her warm, yellow eyes. He clamps his arms around her, and sobs into her shoulder.

Finally he lifts his head, and looks at her again. "I'm so sorry Sannah. I-I don't know what came over me."

"Shh. It will be all right. Everything is going to be all right from now on."

"How do you know?"

She smiles down at him, and he thinks it makes her look even more beautiful. "Because I love you, and I trust in the Force."

She leans down and kisses him, and an electric fire rushes through his body.

It is a feeling that he can almost remember.

It is a feeling that he wants to never end.

They break the kiss, and Sannah releases him. He grasps her hand, and she pauses her movements, her warm eyes staring levelly at him. He swallows, but decides that what he wants to do is the right thing for him, and for her.

"Sannah, marry me. Be my wife?"

He feels her shock in the Force and sees it in how her eyes widen slightly. He notices that her hands have once again taken a slight reddish tint, and grins at her.

Her smile is hesitant but brilliant, and tears form at the corners of her eyes. "Of course I will, Valin."

She kisses him again, and once more he is graced with that electric shock of her touch. She pulls her lips away and smiles at him, finally standing. He stands as well, and looks around at the devastation which surrounds the Temple.

His heart aches as he sees the city around the Temple in flames, the occasional turbolaser blast which still rains down from space, ripping apart the landscape, the buildings, and those who inhabit them.

"Who's doing the orbital bombardment?"

Sannah's voice is soft. "Your grandfather. He wanted to make sure that the Jedi learned their lesson."

Valin nods his head. "I have to say they have. What are we supposed to do now?"

She grabs his hand, and starts walking towards the large hole in the wall which leads to the Council Chambers. "Now, we go help Ben save your sister."


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58**

Sannah is startled as Valin crumples; she looks towards Ben, her mouth working as she tries to figure out what has happened.

"What?"

Ben smiles at her as he says, "I put him to sleep."

She turns her attention back to Valin, as Ben leans over the railing. As he turns and runs back into the Temple, he calls out over his shoulder at her. "Keep an eye on him. I'm going after Jysella."

She nods her head as he runs past her, and drops to Valin's side, pulling him up and into her arms, holding him, whispering pointless things to him.

She loses track of time as she holds his sleeping form like that, cradling him, hoping that when he awakes he will once more be the old Valin, not the one who attacked Ben.

Then the Force twitches and Sannah focuses her attention on that, feeling the unnaturalness of it, the alienness of what occurred. It is a feeling like she had never felt before, something which chills her to the very core of her being.

Then she notices that Valin is stirring.

And she notices that she is still murmuring soft, gentle sounds to him. He attempts to bolt out of her arm, struggling against her, even as her name rips from his lips. She keeps her arms tight around him, and he turns to look at her, and then collapses against her, his own arms snaking around her as he cries.

After a while, he looks up at her once more. "I'm so sorry Sannah. I-I don't know what came over me."

"Shh. It will be all right. Everything is going to be all right from now on."

"How do you know?"

She smiles for him, wondering how he could not know already. "Because I love you, and I trust in the Force."

Then she leans down and kisses him, feeling that old tingle rush through her. They break the kiss, and Sannah releases him. She goes to stand, but his hand grabs hers again, and she stops, turning to look back at him. His mouth moves a few times, and then he asks his question.

"Sannah, marry me. Be my wife?"

Shock slams through her, and then realization at just what he has asked.

He is offering her a family.

Acceptance.

Love.

She can feel her lips stretching back, forming into a smile even as tears form at the corner of her eyes. "Of course I will, Valin."

They kiss again, and Sannah once more revels in the simple pleasures of being alive and healthy and with the person she loves the most.

Finally they stand, and Valin looks out at the devastation caused by the _Errant Venture._

"Who's doing the orbital bombardment?"

"Your grandfather. He wanted to make sure that the Jedi learned their lesson."

Valin nods his head. "I have to say they have. What are we supposed to do now?"

She grabs his hand, and starts walking towards the large hole in the wall which leads to the Council Chambers. "Now, we go help Ben save your sister."

Cautiously they step through the rubble, and into the Chambers, quickly following down the hallway to where Ben went. Where Jysella was taken. They round one of the corners, and can hear the sounds of lightsabers being used in combat.

Rushing faster, they dash down the remainder of the hallway, and stop as they near the broken door, leading into the green room.

Cold dread snakes up their spines as they walk in, to find Ben and his father locked in combat. Behind Ben six figures lie on the floor near the capsules which have haunted them for weeks now. The next to the last of the capsules is still on fire, and Sannah can smell the distinct stench of burning flesh.

As they walk into the room, the door which was lying on the floor rises up and Corran slides out from beneath it. He grunts slightly as he allows the door to fall back to the floor with a crash and then leans down to retrieve his saber. It ignites and he prepares to once more enter the battle, when from beside her Valin calls out, "Dad!"

Corran stops, and turns towards them. "You were supposed to kill Whitesun, Valin."

Sannah frowns, as she watches Valin's face drop. She touches his shoulder, and stands beside him. "Listen to yourself, Master Horn. Is this what it means to be a Jedi? Murder? Kidnapping? What's next revenge?" She gives her head a quick shake. "I thought we served life and justice."

Corran's eyes narrow, as he steps closer towards them, his sword lifting into a mid guard. "We serve the Alliance and obey the Council's orders."

She shakes her head again, hearing the small shells and beads she has weaved into her hair tinkling as they snap against one another. "No, you just serve yourselves."


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59 **

Jysella is in nothingness. A featureless void, without any sensory input of any kind.

Not even the Force.

She is blind, deaf and dumb. The little tell-tale inputs which her entire existence are based around are just gone.

Stripped from her with a simple injection.

In the depths of her featureless prison, Jysella despairs. Wondering what has happened to Ben. If he's there to rescue her.

If he's coming for her at all.

And out of everything that she has learned these past few weeks, finding a history she never knew, a grandfather, the truth about the Jedi, it is that despair - that breaking of hope in Ben - which pains her the most.

She is afloat in her despair and heartache. The events of the past few weeks slamming at her vulnerable psyche, telling her she should just give up. To give in and stop caring.

To accept that she has lost everything.

Then, without warning, she feels something - A pressure pulling her forward.

For a second, she wonders if she has died or lost the tenuous grip on her sanity, but as the darkness flows away from her, as she can feel the cool stone of the floor pressing against her exposed skin, she comes to another conclusion.

He has come for her.

Slowly the rest of her senses begin to filter back in. Taste makes itself known; she scraps her tongue with her teeth, trying to get the taste of bad bacta out. Then she can smell the fluid she is lying in, and it is enough to make her gag.

While bacta has a distinct smell, one that is so sweet it is almost sickening, this fluid has taken that and made it nauseating. As if whoever brewed it had mixed it with decaying flesh.

Then she can hear. The sound of lightsabers. Their thrums both welcoming and causing a fear to weigh on her heart. The crash of the blades together sounds incredibly loud in her ears as she struggles to lift her head.

Finally she can feel her cheek lifting from the floor, away from the cold stone. She opens her eyes and sees others spread out on the floor, pale, emaciated bodies, all of who are struggling in a similar manner as her. She turns her head and sees the Grand Master and Ben locked in an intense saber battle.

She twists her head some more, and she sees her father and Sannah also fighting.

Then she feels a hand on her shoulder, and turns herself just a little further to find her brother kneeling next to her. As they lock eyes, his grin is huge, as he picks her up from the floor, crushing her to him.

"Jys! I thought-they-Master Skywalker told me you had died."

Jysella tries to speak, but can only cough, the smell and taste of the fluid from the tank still right there assaulting her senses.

Finally, she manages to speak. "Check…others."

Valin nods, and props her up against the wall, and then goes to the closest of those still on the floor. Jysella turns her attention away from Valin, and focuses on those fighting. Ben with his smooth economical style, against his father's precision, control and experience. Their blades not so much a blur, as held out towards one another for long minutes, and then slash together in a series of strikes that lasts mere seconds.

On the opposite side of the room from those two are Sannah and Corran. As Jysella watches, she can't help but notice that even though Sannah is decades younger, she is being slowly worn down by Jysella's father.

Jysella frowns, and looks around the room. She spies her saber by the table leg, fetched up against it by the vicious red fluid. Jysella struggles to stand, but instead falls to her hands and knees.

She exhales heavily, and crawls over to the saber. She picks it up, wrapping her hand around the cool, comfortable, familiar hilt. Her fingers slide into the ever so slight impression which her hand has made from literally years worth of using the weapon.

It is the symbol of everything she is, everything she was, and everything she dreamed of being.

Once more, she tries to stand, and with the help of the table in front of her, she manages to.

Just in time for her heart to explode.

She looks over, seeing the green shaft of light sticking out of Ben's back. The Force flickers back into awareness, and she can feel his shock and pain.

"BEN!"

She steps away from the table, stumbling towards Ben and Luke, closing the distance to them, lifting her saber higher.

Her focus is so directed towards Luke and Ben that she never notices the red fluid from the tanks which still drips from the flux aperture and the power supply cover.

She stumbles forward, her legs not quite wanting to work, as Luke pulls his saber from Ben, slicing away through the chest of the man she loves.

Then she is within striking distance, and she feels the flash burn of the saber as it slashes through one of her arms. As the pain blossoms in her mind, she thumbs the activation switch of her lightsaber.

The Force screams in warning.

She has just enough time to turn and face her weapon to see it disintegrate in an expanding ball of pure white.

What she doesn't have is time to scream.


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60 **

"It's over dad."

"Not yet son."

"Why not give up? The Temple is in ruins, I've freed those behind me, including mom. Just stop this madness. Realize what you're doing is wrong."

Ben watches Luke's face sag a little, as if he's burdened by all the things he has seen and done over the decades of his life. Ben feels a pang of regret as he watches the age-lined face and shock of white hair.

His father is old.

He knew that his father wasn't a young man when he was born, but it had never struck him until now just how old his father is these days. For a moment, that regret lingers there, at all the lost time, all those years of silence and anger.

Then Ben releases that into the Force, as he watches his father shake his head in denial. "Yes, you've destroyed everything we worked so hard to build. The peace and safety which the Jedi have established. It's gone now."

"It was never truly here, Dad. It was a lie, as much as everything else the Jedi were living. Why did you do it?"

Luke lifts his saber a little higher. "Because I had to. Because I had to stop all the problems, I couldn't let Jacen turn himself into a Sith Lord. I couldn't let the Jedi rush off to die in another pointless war. I didn't have a choice at all."

Ben sighs. "But you did, Dad. You just wanted to impose your own will over everyone else's. In trying to keep Jacen from being a Sith, you managed to become one your self. I'm sure granddad would be proud."

Luke lets out a growl of inarticulate rage as he lunges forward, his blade flickering in fast and hard. Ben parries it away, twisting to the side, drawing Luke further away from those on the floor.

In the back of his mind, he becomes aware of Sannah and Valin entering the room, and their confrontation with Corran. Shrugging, he pushes that out of his mind, focusing once more on what's in front of him.

On the battle with his father.

He can feel his father tugging at his mental defenses, hoping to distract him throughout the battle.

Ben knows that fighting with a saber is more than just a series of katas, that it's a mental as well as a physical duel. As much a series of attacks, feints and parries at your opponents mind as it is the clash of the two physical weapons.

So far, Ben's been able to block all of the mental attacks and deflect all of the physical ones. The two stare at each other, so alike in the Force, so different in appearance.

Ben darts in, his blade slashing three times in quick succession, the hum from his weapon switching pitches as it flickers back and forth.

Then he hears her. A small groan of pain coming from Jysella.

Without thinking, he glances towards her, instinctively seeking out the woman he loves as she gives voice to her pain.

It is the opening his father has been waiting for.

A burning shove, he can feel the blade vaporizing internal organs, and slide out his back. Pain erupts throughout his body, and for a moment, he's glad that his father didn't cut his spinal cord.

Then he hears her voice, twisted in pain, and misery and fear, as she screams his name.

It is a beautiful voice; he just wishes it was happy.

Then he feels his father's blade as it slices sideways out of his body. It suddenly becomes hard to breath and Ben knows that the saber sliced through a lung. He crumples to the ground, the ability to stand suddenly lost to him.

Then Jysella appears over him, her hand raised with her saber held there. Ben watches in horror as his dad slices away her other hand, and the Force screams.

Before his eyes, her saber turns into an expanding white ball.

He reaches for Jysella in the Force, joining their minds as time slows down, and in his final moments he gets to watch as that white ball consumes Jysella, his father and finally himself.

The final thought he has before the ball overtakes him is that he's glad that it's over.

His final wish was that he had kissed Jysella one more time.

Then the white washes over him, blotting out everything, even as he feels it ripping him apart on a molecular level.

Then he opens his eyes onto a field. He stands, slowly moving in a circle. Grass stretches as far as the eye can see. A blue sky kisses each of the horizons; plump clouds hang within it, occasionally obscuring the bright shine of a star.

A feeling of welcome and of being home fills him.

He sits back down, and waits.

He does not know how long his wait is. It could be seconds or it could be centuries. In the end, as his wait is interrupted by an arrival, he decides it doesn't matter.

He looks at his grandfather, and sees himself and his father in the young face, earnest expression, and the way he hitches his thumbs in his belt.

For a moment, Ben feels a flicker of anger, but then lets that flow away into the peaceful setting around him. "So, was that my destiny?"

Anakin shrugs. "One possible destiny. You made a decision, this is the outcome. If you had made a different one…who knows?"

Ben cocks an eyebrow. "I thought the dead were supposed to be all-knowing."

Anakin smiles a half-smile - a twisting of one corner of his lips. "Do you know everything?"

Ben shrugs his shoulders, and gazes back out at the horizon.

Anakin places a hand on his shoulder, and gives it a gentle squeeze. "It may not have been the destiny you hoped for, but Ashla is proud of you." Anakin stands there for a moment more. "There's someone here for you."

Ben looks at Anakin, and then follows his hand and looks beyond Anakin to see Jysella sitting in the field, looking as lost as he felt a few hours or a few minutes ago.

Ben stands up, and steps forward. As soon as he does, her eyes focus on him and she bolts into his arms. She looks up to him, as he looks down at her, and their lips find each other. With a start, he realizes that the feelings of joy and welcome which he had felt when he first opened his eyes were nothing in comparison to what he felt now.

Now. After all the years of running, of searching.

After all the fights and battles.

Now, he was home.


End file.
